A Twist of Fate
by Vargras
Summary: The last thing he could remember, he was reading a book about four legendary heroes. But now? Now he was trapped in another world, surrounded by people he didn't recognize, and with a shield stuck to his arm. And the book said nothing about a place called 'Siltvelt'. Alternate Universe.
1. Out of the Ordinary

He had planned for it to be just another day to pass him by. Just another weekend, in which he would simply visit the library and kill a few hours to try and save a bit of cash. A few hours-just a few!-and then he would return home, help with dinner preparation, and go to bed to repeat the process the next day. It wasn't as if he had anything else really going on in his life at the moment. To simply show up and read a few books for the low, low price of _nothing_ was as good of a way to spend his time as any.

He had planned for it to be just another day to pass him by. And then he had stumbled upon a book he had never seen before - it didn't show up in the library database or catalogs at all, and his curiosity had certainly gotten the better of him after damned near _every_ librarian in the building merely asked if he had brought it with him instead. 'The Record of the Four Holy Weapons' sure was a title if there ever was to be one, and somewhat oddly, there was no author present upon the cover. So it was that he had decided to open the book and give it a read to find out just _what_ it was.

It had been… surprisingly interesting. He got to read about a kingdom in the midst of a great crisis, as well as four honored heroes and their escapades, as well as the fates that befell them all. There was even mention of how one of the princesses turned traitor and betrayed the whole lot of them, and it was only after he had started to read about the 'Shield Hero' that things had started to feel _odd_.

He _had_ planned for it to simply be another day in life. And now here he was, in the depths of some darkened, candle-lit room, with a shield very firmly stuck to his arm. The ground beneath him glowed a rather vivid green, though assigning an actual description to the color of it was proving difficult. It simply seemed beyond words. And this _shield_… it felt surprisingly light, as if it were merely an extension of himself, and yet it certainly _felt_ like solid metal. Whether or not he had simply passed out in the library and was now dreaming still remained up for debate somewhat.

A test to that theory, then. There had always been the old adage of pinching one's self when dreaming to see if it was real. He had another idea, though. If this shield was as real as it seemed, then just a quick knock would…

_Right, ow, okay._ Lucky his knuckles weren't now bleeding, then, given how hard he had hit it. It was certainly the real deal, as was the rest of this experience, it would seem. _Okay, not dreaming. Then _what_?_ A passing thought had him quietly laughing at the idea that he might have been isekai'd, followed shortly by the realization that when that was pulled off in media, it was _usually_ because the person in question had died. He certainly hoped he had been the exception and not the norm.

"O Great Shield Hero, you honor us with your presence!"

The sound of another being had been enough to draw his focus away from his own temporary pain, and he was admittedly more than a little surprised to find that the source looked rather… well, _furry._ Though garbed in a robe, the cat-man?-still looked decidedly non-human. Was he gawking? He was probably gawking. "Um… hi?"

"Ah! Shield Hero! Thank you so very much for answering our summons!" The man had already dropped to his hands and knees, placing his forehead upon the floor in reverence of the being before him, as had several others around the room. "Oh this is _truly_ a blessed day!"

"You're… talking about me, I'm guessing?" To say he was still confused would have been the understatement of the century, as- "Wait, did you call me 'Shield Hero'?"

"Yes! Yes, of course! You are the Shield Hero of prophecy! The Hero of legend! The one here to deliver us from the coming end!"

A thought crossed his mind. A question he could ask for clarification. "One of the… four heroes of legend?"

"F-Four?" The cat-man had very suddenly looked up in shock, the color from his face suddenly gone. "N-No, you… you must still be disoriented from your summons! There are no other heroes, O Great One!"

"Um. Hrm." Something about that statement seemed decidedly odd. Most of this seemed pulled straight out of the book he had been reading just moments before… and there had _very_ clearly been four heroes of legend in that. _If I'm one of them… where are the other three?_ A different question, then. "Where am I, right now?"

"You are in the great nation of Siltvelt, O Hero!"

_Siltvelt? Was there a Siltvelt in that book?_ "And, where is this 'Siltvelt', exactly?"

"W...Where? It's... northeast of Melromarc, milord."

"I... see." Whoever these people were, they were placing a _very_ heavy emphasis on the honorifics. Was the Shield Hero _that_ important to them? "So, uh… why bring me here, exactly?"

"We require your aid, Shield Hero. A great threat looms, and we require your aid to save our nation from it."

With answers this vague, it was hard to be anything _but_ skeptical. "...Uh. Alright."

The same man abruptly stood up, rushing forward to meet him. "O Great Hero, I know you desire more answers, but you must meet with the leaders of our people first!"

"Will _they_ be able to give me something a little more concrete?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, of course! Anything you wish to ask, I'm sure they could answer for you!" A great paw-_paw?_-suddenly pressed upon his back, pushing him in a general direction as he began to walk. "All will be answered in due time, O Great One."

Whatever the hell this day had just become, it surely was going to be anything _but_ simple.

* * *

He had been proven right, of course. The room he had been lead to looked like a great meeting hall more than anything else, and the previously mentioned 'leaders' seemed more akin to a council than anything else. There was something else he had picked up on rather quickly as well.

He was the only human.

Everyone else around him, from the moment he had arrived, had been… well, a _little_ more human-looking, but only just. They all looked more akin to the beast races one might find in a video game, appearing somewhat 'normal' (whatever 'normal' was in this place) with a smattering of more animal-like features such as ears and tails, and more than enough variation to justify it as well - thus far, at least within these halls, he had seen four different types. There had been people who looked like turtles, as well as birds, and dragons. He had spotted a few tigers as well, though they were certainly less numerous than the others. It wouldn't have been terribly surprising if there were even more, but he had yet to see them.

Several fancier-looking individuals had inevitably shown up and seated themselves before him, all of them looking definitively _not_ human in comparison to the others he had seen very recently, and all of them introducing themselves to him as the representatives of their various peoples. Genmu. Shusaku. Aotatsu. Hakuko. He finally had names to attach to appearances, at least, and though each of them had given their _own_ names, he… admittedly hadn't been paying much attention at the time.

Instead, he had quietly wondered how angry his mother was liable to get over his sudden disappearance.

"Sir Shield Hero, may we ask for your name and occupation, please?"

"Uh." For the briefest of moments, he forgot how words worked. "Iwatani Naofumi. I'm a… student, I guess." The uncertainty had a purpose, at least - he really _wasn't_ sure what would even qualify as his occupation, something he soon followed with, "I'm 20 years old, if it matters at all."

There was no real crowd to speak of in attendance. Merely himself, the representatives, and a slew of guards. Such small numbers did nothing to stop the quiet murmuring that suddenly started, however, and one of the individuals who identified themselves as an Aotatsu slowly spoke his name, as if trying to get a feel for the letters. "Naofuuuumiiii. Iwataniiii."

"And so young, too!" A bird-man-Shusaku, from what he could recall-leaned forward, pushing up a pair of glasses that _somehow_ remained upon its face. "Merely twenty?"

The Genmu cleared its throat, squinting at him as it seemed to appraise him. "You said your occupation is that of a student. Would that mean you're a scholar? A researcher?"

Naofumi awkwardly shuffled a bit instead, chewing on his lip somewhat as he thought on an answer. "I… guess? I wasn't really studying anything specific at the time, though."

"Ah! A generalist, then!"

"Sure, yeah." _Better than what I had in mind, at least_. "Hey, uh, I… had a question, if it's alright for me to ask."

The Shusaku gestured broadly with a wing, grinning-could a beak even _grin?_-at him. "Of course, of course! What is it, Sir Shield Hero?"

"Well, one of the… erm, _individuals_ who summoned me here mentioned a 'looming threat', but couldn't… or wouldn't tell me any more about it."

"Oh! That! Yes, yes, yes, of course!" Its behavior certainly reminded Naofumi a great deal of the birds from back home, given how overly animated they seemed to be with their own movements. "You see, Sir Hero, there is a great… _sickness_ that plagues our fair kingdom."

"I'm sorry, a… sickness?"

"Not a literal one, mind you! It's more so a sickness of _morals_."

Such a statement simply earned a blank stare from him. "I… don't exactly follow."

At some point, he wasn't sure when, the Aotatsu had left its seat and descended down the steps, placing a great clawed-hand upon his shoulder. "Perhaps it would be better to simply _show_ you, Heeero."

He wasn't sure how to respond, but then again, one hadn't been necessary - he had little say in the matter, and despite the complete and total lack of _real_ answers given to him, he had no real choice but to follow along with what they told him.

Something about this situation was beginning to rub him the wrong way.

* * *

Naofumi saw his first other human later that day. The council had decided that the best way to show him the ills that troubled their kingdom was to give him a tour of the city, though it was perhaps more apt to think of it was a 'heavily guided tour'. There was never the option given to him to attempt to roam away and explore on his own, nor did the council seem terribly keen on him looking at particular things - if he did so, it was hastily covered up by one of the guards walking alongside the carriage, as they picked up their own pace to block his line of sight.

He had only gotten a fleeting glimpse of them, down some distant back alleyway, and he couldn't shake the look on their face - wild and skittish. _Afraid_. The moment their eyes had met, they had swiftly ducked away, and they were gone in a mere moment. If it hadn't been for that brief connection, he was liable to think he had been perhaps the _only_ human in this world. But he knew he wasn't alone. There _were_ other humans. They were simply incredibly rare in this region, it seemed, and the others were rather coy when asked about it. Most simply joked that he was simply seeing things when he claimed to have seen another human, and such a response raised more questions than it gave answers.

So much of this was beginning to seem terribly… artificial. Trumped up. Faked. A facade, thrown into place for him and only him. Every question he asked lead to a non-answer, or was quickly redirected to some matter of distraction. Every move he attempted to make outside of their control quickly resulted in a (gentle) chastising, instead telling him that the masses were fervent in their belief in him, and that their zealotry could be dangerous at times.

The moment the tour had concluded, he had been quickly shown to a room within the palace (he assumed it was a palace, at least), told it belonged to him, and instructed to merely wait there until summoned for dinner. A quick peek out the door had revealed that he had been under heavy guard, with one of the beast-men telling him rather sternly to remain inside. And so, he had accepted simply doing just that, and to instead spend the time taking stock of his situation.

He had somehow been transported to another realm, populated by animal-like people, as well as humans. He was a chosen hero of legend, with an equally legendary item physically connected to him. The world itself seemingly operated like a game, with almost everyone living in it aware of this fact. Levels and experience points all existed, as did stats such as health and mana. Perhaps most perplexing was that his wallet had been missing from his pockets the moment he had arrived, but his cell phone was _not_ \- it still remained exactly where it had been when he had been reading the book in the library. Meaningless as it might have been, he pulled it out and quickly unlocked it, and not surprisingly, no service was available. He well and truly _was_ some place else, or at least not within the district he called home, and a look at the remaining battery told him that it likely wouldn't survive however long it might take for him to _leave_.

The phone was simply powered off and tucked away in his pocket once more, in an effort to preserve it for as long as possible. Whatever good that might do him.

And then there had been the discovery that information was being intentionally withheld from him. In a seeming fit of boredom, he had begun to toy with the shield, accidentally stumbling upon the menus within it… as well as the help section. What he found both intrigued him, as well as left him deeply suspicious of whatever else was going on. He read of status magic and upgrade paths, of item usage and party settings, and of the 'true' plight of the worlds. Whatever these 'Waves' were concerned him, surely, but there was something else that had proved more pivotal to him.

Several sections were dedicated, at length, to talking about the functionality of his shield, _and_ three other legendary weapons - four, in total. The same three that they had tried so very hard to convince him simply didn't exist, and that he had been the only one. The sheer amount of information he had discovered within the past hour of simply _dabbling_ with his shield had been absolutely staggering, and also was more than enough evidence that he was being mislead. But…

Finding his own stats screen had been a disheartening experience, to say the least. Being the shield hero had meant that, unsurprisingly, his defensive values were absurdly high for someone at his level… which was to say, level one. Health and defense alike stood miles above the others, though this had obviously come at a tradeoff, as his attack value was absolutely _pathetic_. There was simply no way he could fight his way out of this place on his own, especially not when they were all seemingly coordinating their efforts to keep him contained.

He'd have to find someone to help him, and right now, that help seemed so terribly far away. The best he could do was to instead merely play along with whatever it was they said to him or asked of him, and much like earlier, it felt as if he had little say in the matter. This same inaction was also his sole ace up the sleeve - if they merely _thought_ that he didn't know any more than what they had told him and showed him, then...

His hand gently gripped the phone within his pocket, as if the mere _idea_ of calling someone else for help would have been enough to solve matters. For now, it remained just that. An idea.

Something about what was happening aggravated him in some manner he couldn't describe, but the menus were quickly closed and willed away as a knock upon the door made it clear that the next meal was ready. With no windows, no visible clock, and no working phone, keeping track of time in this place was proving to be difficult.

He had been so distracted by what was going on that he never noticed the sudden presence of another resource bar beneath his name.

* * *

"Sir Hero, would you like to select this evening's entertainment?"

Lost for words, he had simply stared a bit, unsure of what was even being asked of him in the first place - the room he had been lead to after his meal contained several women, easily in excess of twenty, all standing neatly in rows. All of them wore veils to obscure their faces, and the outfits certainly left little to the imagination, which much of the emphasis being placed upon their bodies. His first thought was perhaps they were merely dancers of some sort. After all, it wasn't terribly uncommon for some fantasy settings to have such scenarios, or… at least, that was what he told himself.

He hadn't even been given the chance to think much on the subject before he had been forced to follow along, roaming the rows with the Genmu representative from earlier, who seemed to be in the middle of casting an appraising eye upon some of the women. The same man in question now also certainly looked _much_ more human. Shapeshifters, then. "They're some of the finest we can offer, I assure you."

Naofumi paused mid-step, clearing his throat. "Can I ask you something?"

"But of course."

"What do you mean by 'entertainment'?"

"Ah." He chuckled a bit, his belly bouncing as he began to walk once more. "That's for you to decide, Sir Hero."

"Hrm."

All of the women present had animal-like features, much the same as any of the others he had seen previously - demihumans, he had learned. Each and every one of them kept their heads bowed, almost unwilling to even _look_ at him as he walked past them, and the whole situation left him feeling…

Well.

_Uncomfortable._

He wasn't an idiot. He knew full-well that they intended for him to sleep with whoever he chose for the evening. Why else would they lead him to a room positively _filled_ with women wearing next-to-nothing, and simply offer them to him?

They walked past several more women, Naofumi quietly noting the features on each. He spotted some with rabbit-like ears, and others that looked a little more like dogs, complete with tails. There were even several that looked more akin to foxes than anything else. If there was anything remarkable at all about this, it was how visually varied and distinct demihumans could even seem to be, and-

There was a faint whimper as he walked past one of the women, causing him to stop in his tracks. He was doing his best not to stare, instead trying to simply look at her out of the corner of his eye, and what he saw caused his heart to drop - she stood at an angle, very clearly trying her best not to put weight upon one of her feet, and the shift in her body had caused the cloth on her outfit to drape _just so_, bringing several other ghastly marks to light. Bruises. Cuts. Scrapes. Very small, but noticeable. _Very_ noticeable. _Just… how many others were being treated like her?_

"Sir Hero?"

He turned to the voice, finding that the Genmu representative had gone ahead by a fair bit, and now expectantly waited for him at the very end. "S-Sorry, I… um."

"There's still very many others I'm sure you'd wish to see."

"What if…" He swallowed hard, quietly reaffirming what it was he was about to ask. "What if I've decided?"

"_Already?_" The Genmu gave a quick lean, peeking at the woman Naofumi had stopped before. "No no, I assure you, we have better than her. Come along now."

"I… refuse."

"...I beg your pardon?"

He felt his hands ball into fists, but he couldn't recall when he decided to do that. "I said I refuse. I've made my decision."

"But we've scarcely shown you the full extent of what's available. All these women lay at your fingertips! You are the _Shield Hero_! You could have your pick of _any_ of the finest women in the kingdom!" The representative had already waddled back over, squinting up at Naofumi and tapping a cane somewhat angrily upon the floor. "As I said, we have better than her, worry not."

A thought had crossed his mind earlier. He was supposed to be a hero of legend, a chosen individual tasked with saving the world. Heroes were meant to help others, were they not? And seeing this woman… His stats screen briefly flashed through his head, his apparent magic affinities coming to mind. If he was largely bound to the confines of this place, then this small act, this incredibly modest gesture, was his closest chance at rebellion. "As _I_ said, I've made my decision."

The Genmu merely stared, unbelieving. "..._Her?_ You're… you're certain?"

Naofumi's answer consisted of something he felt would be undeniable, gently taking the woman's hand into his - something that caused her to make a soft sound in surprise. "Positive."

"Hmph. Very well. She's all yours."

With little else to say, the Genmu had waddled off once more, waving a cane about and shooing away the rest of the women, some of whom made noises ranging from annoyed to upset. It suddenly occurred to Naofumi that he admittedly looked rather odd, standing about holding hands with a woman he didn't know, and he should simply… leave. Her injury meant he had to take an incredibly slow pace, but he didn't mind at all, and he quite honestly would have simply carried her if he didn't think it would bring about unwanted attention. With another guard leading him back to his room, they had drawn more than a few curious glances _anyways_, with several individuals leaning in to quietly say something or other about him and who he was with.

He didn't care anymore. His priorities had suddenly shifted. He had a goal now. That… that was good.

The return to his room ended rather unceremoniously, with both him and his new companion being hastily lead inside, and the doors promptly shut behind them. Now in sudden isolation, with no one else around aside from the woman he had chosen mere minutes ago, he was suddenly becoming _quite_ aware of the fact that he… hadn't exactly talked to someone of the opposite sex in such a private setting in a very long time. There had been his mother, of course, and some of his classmates at his college, but those situations surely didn't hold a candle to _this_.

Things had rapidly descended into an awkward silence of sorts, and Naofumi quietly cursed his more recent existence as little more than a shut-in otaku. Maybe, _just maybe_, if he had gone out a bit more often when he was still in high school, he'd have an easier time navigating social situations like this. But… _'Go with your gut', right? That's what dad always said._

It also occurred to him that he had never really gotten a good look at her earlier - his focus had been on her injuries, and getting her out of a potentially bad situation. He was… admittedly having a hard time figuring out _what_ she was, if he was being completely honest with himself. Her tail was long yet fluffy, with very faint striping, and it was difficult to say what kind of animal it might belong to. 'Dog' and 'cat' seemed in equal contention, though he… definitely wasn't sure. Then, of course, there were the ears, which were short and rounded. So _what_, then?

'Raccoon' came to mind, but didn't seem quite right. Her features were far too light in color for that, browns and reds compared to greys and blacks.

_Wait._ _'Tanuki'?_ Naofumi tapped a finger to his chin as he mulled it over, trying to think of the possibilities. _Those are native to Japan, though. Would this place even have something like that? _It was a bit _too_ preposterous, really. She still had her head bowed to him, hands clasped in front of her, and he had never really noticed until now just how _long_ her hair was, or how it appeared in the light, seemingly fluctuating between chestnut browns and strawberry blondes.

As if aware of his eyes upon her, she spoke up softly, with a hint of timidness to her voice. "I'm… honored to have been chosen, master, but how… how do you wish to have me?

Nearly blindsided by the question, he instead choked on his words somewhat. "Have… you?"

"Is that not why you chose me?"

"What?" Naofumi stared a bit, possibly even gawked. He had known _exactly_ what they had been trying to get him into, so why was he so shocked by this? "That's… no! No, no, no, that's not-"

"Do you… find me dissatisfactory, master?" She bowed a tiny bit more, fighting back a whimper as she unintentionally put pressure upon her bad foot again, yet still just as quiet as earlier. "I'll do whatever it is you wish of me."

"No, that's not it either! I just…"

Raising her head up to look at him, her head tilted in confusion. "Then why?"

"I wanted to help you!"

A pause, as she seemed to simply stare at him, her voice suddenly a whisper. "...help me?"

"Yeah. You just… looked like you needed someone to help you. I… I saw what happened to you. I'm... _supposed_ to be the Shield Hero, and… heroes are supposed to help others, aren't they?"

"Shield… Hero?"

A moment of hesitation struck him, as he briefly wondered if he was even worthy of the title, but… "...yeah. I'm the Shield Hero."

"Y...You?"

Something he had said had triggered an abrupt change in personality in this woman, but it was still clear that she was in need of aid, and he was damned if he was going to simply let that slip through his fingers now. Closing the gap between them, he had already placed both hands gently upon her shoulders, quietly noting the way she jumped the moment he touched her - she had likely been abused at some point, or perhaps even more recently. He wasn't sure which was worse. "Can you walk?"

"I…" Her voice seemed to break, and though she attempted to take a step, another quiet whimper made it evident enough that she had likely already been through her fair share. "I don't know if…"

"Hold on."

She seemed to flinch the moment he circled around behind her-another mental note for himself-and he had to repeatedly tell her that he wasn't going to hurt her as he carried her over to the lone bed within the room, gently setting her down upon it. He wasn't entirely sure _when_ he had even gotten strong enough to carry an entire person like that, but she hadn't felt all that heavy to begin with. _Maybe I've just always had it?_

A thought for another time. With her safely down on a more comfortable surface, he had already pulled back portions of her outfit so as to see the full extent of her injuries, and what he saw admittedly sickened him more than he'd like to admit. It seemed more extensive than he had previously thought, and it was a bit of wonder she wasn't in more pain than she was now - if she was, she was hiding it _very_ well. "Are you comfortable?"

"...Y-Yes."

There was something else he had completely forgotten about up until that point. "Could you… maybe take off your veil, please?"

"You're… certain? It's… it's okay?"

"Of course it's okay." He had already glanced back away, too busy sorting through menu after menu within his shield as he tried to pull up anything and everything healing-related that he could find. It seemed all he had were just the bare essentials, and he frowned a bit as he studied the screen.

-Novice Alchemy (Lv. 1)

-Novice First-Aid (Lv. 1)

-Healing Affinity

-Support Affinity

He wondered if his affinities could affect his other skills, despite them not being magic. He was also somewhat bothered by the fact that he had no healing magic at his disposal, yet had healing magic affinity. If he had no magic at the ready, how else was he supposed to help her recover?

An idea suddenly sprang into his head, dating back to his time playing in online games. He had never really been one for combat, but had instead enjoyed trading with others and plying his wares as a merchant. Being successful at that was often no different than combat itself in some ways, as the best and most shrewd individuals would make full use of deception to twist events to their advantage. If he were to simply topple over a piece of furniture to fake an injury, and then ask for some items to heal _himself_ with… this could work. This could _actually_ work.

"Master?"

He cringed a bit upon hearing the term. "Could you… please maybe _not_ call me that? It's… kind of uncomfortable to hear."

"O-Oh. Um."

There was a pause in her speech, and out of the corner of his eye, he could spot her hand trying to reach for his. "What do you…"

Whatever it was he was going to say quickly trailed off as well, after he had brought his own gaze up to meet hers. She was… beautiful. Her features and expression looked so incredibly gentle, that he couldn't help but wonder what kind of person would even be willing to put her through the harm she had endured, but her _eyes_… it was a color he certainly hadn't been expecting, being a peculiar mixture of reds and pinks. 'Magenta' might be the closest match for it, and it was the only word he could think of that accurately described it.

She shyly giggled at him, and perhaps she was even blushing a bit. "...Hero? Is something wrong?"

"...What?" His thoughts sharply derailed, it was all he could do to watch helplessly as his train of thought crashed and burned. "N-No, I was just… um… trying to find something. Um."

"If 'master' makes you uncomfortable, then… what should I call you?"

"Oh, right! Well that's just… you can just use my name."

She seemed to sit up a bit more, eyes widening as her ears flicked a bit in seeming anticipation. "Your… your name? Is that… really okay with you?"

Part of that question seemed to strike him as being 'odd'. Perhaps it was. "Of course it's okay with me. My name is Iwatani Naofumi."

"...your name is 'Iwatani'?"

"No, that's… my family name, actually. It's a cultural thing, where I come from."

"So your... name is 'Naofumi', then."

"Yes."

"Naofumi…" Her lips curled into a smile, and it was only then that he saw just how akin to animals some demihumans seemed to be - her canine teeth were certainly _longer_ than what any normal human might have, and the nails upon her fingers seemed a similar case. "Naofumi."

He simply chuckled a bit, nodding. "Yep."

"Naofumi!"

"Yes, that's me! Hello… um." The failure to draw a name simply showed him that their trade was only half-complete. "What should I call _you_ then?"

She seemed to stare at him a bit, almost unsure of what was being asked of her. "You… want to know my name?"

"Well, sure." Reaching over, he slowly took one of her hands into his, so as to not spook her _too_ badly, and simply gave her a smile. "If you know my name, it's only fair that I know yours."

"It's…" Hesitation tinged her voice, but the moment her eyes met his once more, she had decided. "Raphtalia."

"Raphtalia?" A faint laugh from him. "...I like it."

Her hand squeezed his.


	2. You and I

As luck would have it, faking an injury ended up being even easier than he had expected. All it had taken was for him to simply push over one of the nightstands within the room, yell out, and then loudly hop towards the door… as if he had hurt his ankle in the process. And the guards had been comically easy to convince, merely taking his every word at face value — when he had asked for healing items, as well as some raw materials with which to teach himself, it hadn't even been questioned. They had instead complied, and brought forth the very same things he had requested within roughly a ten minute timeframe.

The only thing they had expected in return was for him to simply remain in his room. Aside from that, he _was_ the Shield Hero, and deciding to humor him was likely much, much easier than whatever the alternative might have been. That, and it was probably viewed as a way to keep him happy… and complacent.

_Not like you've got someone imprisoned when it doesn't even feel like it to them._

It wasn't as if he had totally lied either. He _did_ need those items to mend an injured ankle, but it simply wasn't _his_ ankle, and much as he was now tempted to press his luck to find out what the limitations of his requests could even be, it was best if he kept things reasonable for the time being. Someone else's health was at stake now, after all.

Raphtalia still lay exactly where she had been for the past hour or so, watching the entire series of events unfold with restrained amusement — he had told her to simply get under the covers of the bed and pretend to be asleep, in case the guards so much as peeked inside the room. They hadn't, of course, but it had been thought of as a necessary precaution, and she was still watching him now as he seemed to get things in order. He had been brought a veritable grab-bag of medicinal items, it would seem, and had already 'fed' a few of them to his shield. There had been some mention or other about unlocking new ones, and it had already changed appearance to look more akin to a bottle or waterskin of some kind than anything else.

"Alchemist's Shield," he had called it. She admittedly hadn't been paying much attention at the time, her focus solely upon him instead — Naofumi, the Shield Hero. _Naofumi_. Something about the name filled her with utter delight, more than she could have ever remembered feeling in her entire life.

"Raphtalia?"

Ears twitching, she quickly perked up. "Hm?"

"I think I've just about got everything together now." Standing up from his spot at a distant table, Naofumi had carefully made his way back over to the bed, doing his very best not to let the plethora of items within his arms tumble to the floor. "I'm hoping this does the trick, but… we won't know until we find out, right?"

She simply nodded, smiling a bit at him as he pulled back the covers to give her injuries another quick look. "...Right."

Whatever it was he had brought over quickly tumbled onto the bed itself, and it seemed he had a little bit of everything — ointments, potions, bandages of various shapes and sizes, all of it made with a purpose in mind. Naofumi set to his work almost immediately, moving with a surprisingly practiced and steady hand, the origin of which he himself wasn't sure of. He had known basic first-aid, yes, but _nothing_ on this level, and he quietly wondered if the shield had perhaps been quietly gifting more knowledge to him.

A mental note was made of the text that repeatedly appeared out of the corner of his eye every time he tended to another wound upon her: **Novice First-Aid Up**. These skills of his were actively improving simply by using them, another nod of sorts to the game-like world he was currently in. Indeed, he could _feel_ himself growing more confident in his own capabilities as he continued his work, and they seemingly continued to improve in efficacy with each small increase to his First-Aid stat, even though the objects themselves had already been made.

_Am I really having that big of an effect? Does… that healing affinity actually work on these kinds of things?_

His would-be patient had been more than content to simply observe him as he busied himself, even taking the time to affectionately brush her hand against him every time he drew near enough to do so — he had been doing his very best to hide the blush that would creep up upon his face whenever she did, and a small part of him wondered if she had even noticed his reactions.

"Naofumi?"

Abruptly pulled out of his thoughts, he instead glanced up from a bandage he was wrapping around her ankle, if only to look her in the eyes. "Yeah?"

She smiled again, lightly trailing her fingers along his arm. "Could you… perhaps tell me a bit about yourself?"

"You want to know more about me, huh?" He looked away for the briefest of moments, tucking a finger under the bandage, just to squeeze in a bit more ointment beneath it. A little more couldn't hurt… "What did you have in mind?"

"Everything. I want to know all of it."

That alone drew a somewhat quizzical look from him, even as he tied off the bandage in question. "_Everything_ is… a lot of things."

"I don't mind. I'd... like to know more about the great Shield Hero."

"Well, _'great'_ might be pushing it a bit," he said, shrugging as he did. "It's not like I've really done anything yet."

A light, airy giggle slipped out of her. "You helped me. That already makes you great in my eyes."

"I… guess."

"You don't sound very sure." Raphtalia reached out once more, taking his hand into hers again, and covering it with her other. "The smallest of gestures can have the greatest of impacts. It's something… someone once told me."

It was more than a fair point, that was certain. He instead nodded, moving to take a seat upon the bed beside her. "Alright, got me there. So I guess… where to begin?"

"Tell me about your family," she asked.

And so he did, telling her of his mother and how he had often helped her clean around the house, or helped with dinner. He told her of his father, and of how some of his fondest memories of him had been the times in which he had been taken to see a baseball game when he had been younger — she had naturally inquired as to what 'baseball' even was, which took a brief explanation on his part, not that he minded at all. And he told her of his brother, the sibling who had sunk so terribly deep into so many destructive behaviors, and who had subsequently been saved by… well, _him_. To learn that Naofumi had already managed to 'save' another had brought a rather wide smile to Raphtalia's face, and a quiet remark from her.

"So you _are_ a hero after all."

He didn't dare contest it, but… something about hearing those words from her felt… surprisingly good. His parents had praised him for it, of course, and had given him enough of a reward that he could have simply slacked off for the rest of his life and been comfortable for the entirety of it. But to hear someone _else_ say it was rather different, and had brought with it a whole new meaning. She had sounded so earnest when she had called him a hero, and the strangest feeling was stirring within his chest. It almost felt like…

Like…

_Purpose._ _Meaning._ Things his life had previously lacked.

"Tell me about your world," she asked.

And so he did, telling her of his native Japan, and what it was like. He told her of the mountains within the countryside, the cherry blossoms that fell with every spring, and of the vast expanses of the cities that dotted the nation. He told her of all the wild technological wonders of his world, and she sat and listened, staring wide-eyed at him as he described things such as airplanes, computers, and phones. He had even pulled out his very own to show her what it could do, and holding back a laugh was almost impossible as she was enraptured by the sight of a recording of _herself_.

"A moving picture? I… heard of such things in Faubley, but I didn't think it could be so _small._"

'Faubley' was no doubt another nation within this strange new world, one that boasted technology of its very own, though it was difficult to say at what level it might have been. If Raphtalia had mentioned 'moving pictures', then they clearly had access to video of some kind, though the quality might be debatable. Still, it was another new term for him, and another place he'd have to investigate at some other point.

A new line of text appeared in the corner of his vision: **Bookmark Saved: Faubley**.

_Wait. How did…?_

Did the shield _know_ his intent? It was a concerning thought on its own, to be sure, and it carried with it the implication that this thing strapped to his arm was possibly _sentient_. It wasn't as if he'd have much time to spend thinking about it, though, for another request soon came forth.

"Tell me about yourself," she asked.

And so he did, albeit with a fair bit of uncertainty and hesitation. He personally didn't think of himself as being all that remarkable, simply telling her of his childhood, and what he had been like growing up, culminating in his more 'unhealthy' behaviors of simply staying shut up within his room and indulging himself in all manner of hobbies. He certainly wasn't the type of individual that should be viewed as a role model, nor did he consider himself to be all that good of a person on account of his own (admittedly) self-destructive tendencies — there had _always_ been better uses of his time, and he had always simply ignored them. He had even gone so far as to tell her the circumstances of his arrival, and of the bizarre book he had found that lead him to where he was now.

"And you say you ended up here because of that same book?"

"Yeah. If I hadn't gone to the library, I… probably wouldn't be here."

"Yet if you hadn't come here at all, we would never have met… and you would never have helped me." A hand slowly drifted up to his chest, fingers lightly tracing against where his heart lay, and her head tilted somewhat as she eyed him. "...you _are_ a good person, you know. And I'd know better than anyone else in this world. You, the man who would help a woman you barely know, simply because you thought she looked to be in need of aid."

He sighed, doing his very best to not look at the hand pressed against him. "I couldn't just… _leave_ you there, Raphtalia. Not after seeing the state you were in."

"See? You're such a gentle soul, Naofumi…" Her hand had very quickly turned into a fist, gripping his shirt tightly, and with a strength that certainly belied her own physical state, pulled him into bed alongside herself. A grin had broken out upon her face, showing those teeth of hers _far_ more than he'd likely be comfortable with… and nevermind just how _close_ she now was. "Such gentleness ought to be rewarded, hm?"

"R-Rewarded? I-I..." Struggling for an answer, he instead stumbled over his own words, panicking within his own head as he tried to figure out what it was he was even supposed to _do_. Navigating social situations was simple enough, even for someone like him, but to have a woman—an attractive one, at that—pull him into bed with her and begin to rather heavily hint at taking things _far_ beyond mere light touching was…

"Mm… I've never been this close to a human. Always from a distance… but now?" She drew ever closer, placing her forehead against his, and the grin had diminished to a faint smile. "Now I can truly appreciate everything about you, Naofumi."

He tried to reach for the right words, and instead choked upon them. She was so close now, _so terribly close_, and he was at a loss as to how one even _should_ react in a situation such as this. It wasn't as if he was repulsed — far from it. If anything, he was in complete _awe_ of her and couldn't help but find himself entranced by her eyes, so much so that he never truly noticed her placing a hand upon the back of his head, nor did he notice her begin to run her fingers through his hair.

"Tell me…" Giggling once more, she rubbed noses with him, staring right back at him. "Have you ever been with a woman before?"

_Been with a…? _He was admittedly having difficulty even parsing the question, far too distracted and overstimulated by something as simple as physical affection. Never before had anyone ever gotten this close to him, nor had they done the things she was currently doing. It was beyond his recognition, and he was essentially going in blind, not knowing what it was he should have even been feeling in response to it.

The question ran through his head again and again, looping endlessly, constantly seeking out an answer to the query.

_Been with a… woman?_

Pause. Rewind.

_Been with a woman. As in…_

The full implication hit with enough force to abruptly draw him back out of his own muddled thoughts, causing him to break away from her fast enough that he promptly rolled right off the bed, landing upon the floor with a rather loud _thud_. Raphtalia had already peeked over the edge at him, her face a mixture of 'concerned' and 'upset', and though he was now nursing a bump on the back of his head, he was pretty sure he could figure out the 'why'.

"Naofumi?! Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Just…" In that moment, he quietly wished that at least _one_ healing potion had still remained — it likely would've done just the trick for clearing up the headache that he could already begin to feel starting up. "R-Raphtalia, um…"

A look back up had shown that the demi-human looked surprisingly despondent over the situation, refusing to meet his gaze. "I… went too far, didn't I?"

"Yeah, that's… um…" Searching for the right response was proving difficult. He wanted to get the point across, yet didn't want to hurt her feelings at all. The actions _themselves_ weren't necessarily the problem—a small part of him had actually relished in being shown such attention—but more so the _pace_ at which it had happened was what had thrown him out of his comfort zone. "It was just… too much at once, I guess."

Slowly, her head had turned somewhat, ears still flattened yet steadily perking back up. "So you… don't find me unappealing, then?"

"...What? N-No, no, that's—" Getting to his feet, Naofumi had already begun to make his way back over to her, still rubbing at the sore spot he was now sporting. "What I meant was…"

The hand he had held upon the back of his head came forward, and he realized too late the mistake he had just made.

Raphtalia already had her head bowed, ears firmly flattened once more as she began to shrink away from him, frantically yelling out as she did. "I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry! Please, Naofumi, I'll behave, I promise!"

He had frozen mid-step, his own heart in his throat, as a horrific thought crossed his mind. _She… thought I was going to hit her._

He… he wouldn't. He'd _never_. But… she didn't know that. She had simply recognized the gesture from another time and place, and that had been all it had taken to leave her fearful. Much of it simply made him wonder just _how much_ she had been put through before he had ever met her. Slowly, carefully, he began to approach her once more, hand still outstretched. "Raphtalia… I'm _not_ going to hurt you. I swear I'd never do anything like that to you."

From her spot on the bed, she visibly trembled, head still bowed low as she sniffled somewhat.

"I… don't know what happened to you in the past. I can't pretend to know. But…" So many words and thoughts swam through his mind, possible promises he could make to her that he may or may not be able to keep. And yet… _and yet..._ "I'm here now, and I'll make sure whoever did those things to you can never hurt you again."

Still she remained firmly in place, ever so slowly raising herself back up once more, yet her eyes remained screwed shut — she seemingly couldn't bear to look at him after what had just happened.

He took a seat upon the bed beside her. She weakly tried to move away, making no real progress.

He reached a hand out to her, gently placing it upon her cheek. She winced, and yet soon melted into the touch, warm tears beginning to run down her face as he took her hand into his and reaffirmed his vow. "Don't worry… I'll protect you. As long as I'm still here, I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Raphtalia opened her eyes once more, and remembered to breathe.

* * *

"_I'm kind of wanting to sleep because of this headache, but…"_

"_But?"_

"_There's… only one bed."_

_A gentle laugh. "I… know how you feel about me being close to you, so I can simply sleep on the floor. A hero such as you doesn't deserve to lie on the hard ground through the night."_

"_Raphtalia, you're injured. If anyone ought to be sleeping in the bed, it's you. I'll be fine, I just need to find some pillows and blankets or something."_

"_Absolutely not. I'm a mere slave, so if anyone should sleep on the ground, it's—"_

"_Hold on, you're a slave?!"_

"_W-Well…"_

Naofumi had adamantly insisted she take the bed, _especially_ after hearing the talk of how she was an indentured servant (though 'slave' certainly seemed more apt, given the treatment that had been shown to her) — she was injured, and if she _didn't_ sleep somewhere comfortable and supportive, it was simply going to prolong the time necessary for her injuries to heal.

Raphtalia had tried—emphasis on 'tried'—to instead argue that _he_ ought to have the bed, as he was a legendary hero and had also shown discomfort at being physically close to her. _Sharing a bed_ would have likely exacerbated that problem.

They had ended up going back and forth for another half hour after the fact, neither one refusing to give an inch in their ongoing battle of 'who should get the bed', and it had ultimately resulted in a stalemate, which was to say…

The bed was being shared.

It had likely been why only a single bed had been present in the room in the first place — there had been every intent for him to lie with a woman for the night, though he _did_ figure that they probably had assumed something more sexual and less to do with simply… sleeping. And he _had_ been sleeping reasonably well, as Raphtalia had more than respected his wishes and told him she would keep to her side during the night.

He didn't necessarily _mind_ the idea of being close to her, but… he still scarcely _knew_ her. And to be that close to someone without truly knowing what they were like seemed wrong to him, on some level.

However, it had been by her gentle breathing that he had awoken again, slowly opening his eyes to find… another pair of eyes staring right back. Apparently at some point in the middle of the night, she had scooted closer to him once more, though he knew not when. "...Raphtalia?"

Her voice came softly, as if afraid of what he might say back. "Yes?"

"Have you been… watching me sleep?"

"...N-No."

He sighed. "You don't have to lie to me."

"I just… didn't want you to be mad."

"I'm not going to be mad at you."

Despite how dark the room might have been on account of the total lack of windows, he could still make out the sheen of her eyes rather easily — a small part of him wondered if she could perhaps see in the dark, even as her eyes darted elsewhere. "...Promise?"

"Promise." He shifted somewhat, so as to better face her… whatever good that might do him. "You manage to sleep at all?"

"No… I keep thinking about earlier." Her eyes moved elsewhere again, still the only part of her he could definitively see, but his own sight was rapidly catching up. "I still feel bad about it. About how I shamelessly pushed myself onto you, even after you had made how you feel abundantly clear."

A faint laugh from him. "It's fine, Raphtalia. Honest. I… don't really _mind_ those things, I think, but… I'm not terribly experienced with it. And I don't really know you all that well yet either."

"What?" She seemed skeptical, at best, and she peered at him a little more intently. "How have you not...?"

"I was a shut-in, remember? I've… never gotten overly intimate with anyone at all, if you can believe it."

"But, you're so…" Whatever else it was she was planning to say simply trailed off into nothingness, her eyes still focused solely upon him, and he could faintly make out the beginnings of a blush upon her face. She instead cleared her throat. "The women of your world are rather foolish, if you ask me."

"It's just as much my fault, but… thank you." He… admittedly wasn't sure what else to say to a compliment like that. He assumed it was a compliment, at least. Still, if they were _both _awake, then… "Say, Raphtalia."

Her ears twitched at the name. "Yes?"

"I'd like to know more about you."

"...W-What?"

"You asked me earlier, so… I thought I'd do the same. I want to get to know you. I… don't really know how long I'm going to be here, after all, and you're the first person I've talked to for any real length of time. So…" A fluff of the pillow, to better situate himself with. "Tell me about yourself."

She peered at him a bit, almost unbelieving. "You… want to know about me?"

"...Yeah? Is there… something wrong with that?"

"N-No, it's just… I wasn't expecting it, is all." She cleared her throat again, looking rather nervous compared to the confidence she was displaying earlier. "Where should I…?"

"You mentioned you were an indentured servant. Could you… maybe tell me how that came about?"

"Oh. Well. My… family used to live in a village far from here, closer to Melromarc, with other demi-humans. We largely kept to ourselves, and no one really bothered us. Humans didn't necessarily _like_ us, but they tolerated us at least. Then the Waves came, and… my village was destroyed. We tried to settle elsewhere, but we were constantly harassed by humans, and—"

Naofumi scowled a bit. "I'm guessing demi-humans aren't exactly treated very well over by Melromarc."

She shook her head. "Not at all. My father eventually grew tired of us constantly being hounded, and… so we came here, to a place where demi-humans were treated more favorably, but…"

"...But?"

"With all the moving around, my family quickly ran out of money, and… with no other way to sustain ourselves, we were all forced into indentured servitude to help settle my father's debts."

"And by indentured servitude, you mean 'slavery'."

"That's… one way of putting it, yes." She somehow, _somehow_, managed a faint laugh at that. "It's an awfully dressed up word for such a thing, isn't it?"

"Someone always finds a way to justify whatever it is they do, no matter how horrible it might be." At some point, perhaps subconsciously, he had taken hold of her hand and now lightly covered it with his own. "And what happened after that?"

"Well… not long after my tenth birthday, they... forced me to level up. They placed me in parties and dragged me along on hunting trips for the sole purpose of giving me as much experience as possible. Being the child of indentured servants means that's simply what happens to you, you see. It's a way of… making you more useful as quickly as possible."

"And… how long ago was this?"

"About a month," she answered matter-of-factly.

He balked, his own train of thought screeching to a halt. "Hold on. Raphtalia. You said… that all of this happened not long after your tenth birthday. Which was _maybe_ a month ago."

"Yes."

"So… you're—"

"_Chronologically_ ten years old, yes. I already know where you're going with this, Naofumi. It's… an admittedly amusing, yet common thing amongst humans." She giggled somewhat, and her hand had turned upwards beneath his, so as to better grasp his own. "You see, demi-humans can mature and grow as we level up, until we reach adulthood. It means we can physically and mentally become adults _much_ faster than a human ever could, and it's… partially what results in us being labeled as 'freaks' by humans, and why we're discriminated against elsewhere."

"But you're—"

"Very much still an adult. Don't worry. I know it must be a strange concept for you, but a purely chronological age doesn't have much meaning to someone like me because of it."

"That… explains the leveling thing, then. They force you to level so you can become an adult faster. So you're… robbed of your childhood, then." The very _idea_ that a nation of demi-humans could treat their own so poorly nearly left him livid. "That's… awful."

"Yes, well… by the time they were through with me and had seen what I looked like when physically mature, they… decided I would be better off as a concubine. It was deemed a 'better use' of me."

"...Why, though?"

"To bear your child, of course."

"W-What?" _How can you say it so casually?! _To hear the words come out of her mouth had certainly left him red in the face, and there was definitely no use in hiding it when he was laying as close to her as he was.

"The child of a hero tends to be exceptional in almost every way. It's a… rather powerful bartering tool, for the nation that manages to bear host to one." Her expression softened somewhat, taking on an almost mischievous look. "...I wouldn't mind with you, you know. It's what I was meant to do, and… you _are_ rather sweet."

Something about the sentence made his skin crawl. "You make it sound like you're just some plaything, and not a person…"

"...I am, though. I'm yours."

In that singular moment, he made sure to squeeze her hand just a little bit tighter. He was having difficulty stomaching just how far they had seemingly pushed her, to simply reduce her to…_ this_. "Raphtalia…"

"I make no guarantees on how enjoyable the experience might be, though. I'm… afraid I'm about as skilled as you are." Another giggle from her, even as she gave his hand a squeeze in return. "They ordered that I be kept 'pristine', just for you."

"Hrm." Naofumi made no further attempts at a response beyond that, and instead continued to look upon her, his hand still firmly grasping hers.

"...it's all rather sad, isn't it?"

The question caused him to blink a bit as he stared back at her. "What is?"

"This… existence." She sighed as she sank into the pillow somewhat, looking back at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Both of our fates were sealed the moment we arrived here, but you especially… a man with such gentle eyes, and a kind heart such as yours, shouldn't be locked away from the rest of the world. They've got you trapped inside a gilded cage, Naofumi. Anything your heart could ever desire is yours, and yet they have no intentions of ever letting you roam free."

"They… never did, did they?"

A strange mixture of sadness and remorse overcame her, and she seemed to take great pains to try and look away. "...No, they didn't."

He had always suspected it, somewhat, since the very moment he had been summoned to this world. That things had been stacked against him, and that everything shown to him had happened in a very particular fashion, with the intent to deprive him of anything and everything _else_. If he was given a room, he had no want for shelter. If he was given meals, he had no want for food. If he was given women, he had no want for companionship. All of it had been very clearly, very purposely done _solely_ to use him for their own means.

He was the Shield Hero. He was _supposed_ to be one of the four chosen saviors of the world. And yet, they had viewed him as little more than a stud, a man who existed for the single, solitary purpose of supplying them with child after child after child, and what Raphtalia had told him merely confirmed it.

To know that he had been sentenced the _second_ he had arrived had left him with a faint feeling of anguish, of the knowledge that so long as he remained here, what _he_ had wanted simply did not matter. It didn't align with the goals of those in power, and thus, it did not matter.

_And yet._

He had rebelled once before in selecting Raphtalia, against the wishes of those same few who were in positions of authority. And he had done so again by helping her. And he could do so again, and again, and again, continually pushing back against what it was they were trying to use him for. And… perhaps, if he defied them just enough, he could break free.

'_The smallest of gestures can have the greatest of impacts'. That's… what she said to me. _

But this was no longer simply about himself, was it? He had seemingly been robbed of his future just as much as _she_ had, to be used as little more than pawns in a political game. It was a fate he simply refused to accept, and it was then that his goal shifted once more.

Escape. Freedom. _For the both of us_.

Leaving Raphtalia behind was not an option, that much he knew. And… it would take time to plot out an effective escape — her injuries would still need to heal before she would be in well enough shape to even attempt to flee, and the moment it was discovered that the two of them were missing, the entirety of Siltvelt would likely be on high alert. The window would begin to close at that point, which meant there would be no room for error, as one mistake could prove fatal. Maybe not to _him_, but…

As briefly as he had known her, it wasn't something he wanted to entertain.

"Naofumi?"

His thoughts were quickly collected and stashed away, escape plans included. "Huh?"

A glance showed that she was looking at him once more, concern etched upon her face. "Sorry… you were thinking about something, weren't you? You always seem to get quiet when you do."

"Ah." A pause. "Yeah, I… I guess I do, huh?"

"Mm. It's fine to get lost in your own thoughts from time to time, but… one should be careful they don't get _too_ caught up in them, hm? It's rude to do so when you're having a conversation with someone else." Raphtalia stared at him then slowly grinned, ears flitting about somewhat, and her tail could be faintly spotted moving beneath the covers. "...I'm teasing, of course. Now, where were we?"

"Right, um… you were telling me about yourself."

"Oh, yes! Of course!" She abruptly trailed off, staring _through_ him rather than at him. "What… else was there, again?"

He quirked a brow at her, returning the look. "I… guess your family. You never really said much about them, like what happened after you all got here."

"Well, that's… um." Ears flicking in agitation, Raphtalia's shifted, staring off elsewhere. "I… I'm having trouble… remembering?"

"You… can't remember what happened to them after you got to Siltvelt?"

"No, that's… don't be ridiculous, Naofumi. Of course I'd remember something as important as my own family. It's…" Her eyes had gone unfocused, her grasp upon his hand tightening immensely, and something was beginning to seem awry. "It's…"

He could feel her nails upon him, starting to dig into his skin, and he fought back a wince of pain if only to keep his attention upon her. "Raphtalia…?"

"I… I can't… I can't _remember them_. I _know_ I had a family. I remember us all together in my village, so why can't… why can't I remember them _after?_" She released his hand, instead placing her hands upon his shoulders and desperately holding on to them, pulling herself close. "I can't… _I can't remember them, Naofumi_. Their names, their faces, their _voices_. There's nothing… nothing! I can't, I can't, I _can't, I can't, I can't—!"_

Hot tears had begun to well up in her eyes, and before he had even realized what he was doing, before he had even realized what _he_ had _done_, his arms had already wrapped around her, pulling her into his embrace.

Her breath hitched as she began to openly sob, feebly trying to place her own arms around him as well, and soon giving up — her hands instead lay clenched upon his chest, weakly gripping his shirt. "I can't… Naofumi, why can't I…?"

He tightened his hold upon her, one hand gently cradling her head as the other remained firmly upon her back. "I'm here, Raphtalia. Just… let it all out. I'll be right here for you."

In the midst of a choked cry, she managed a single word. "M… M… _Mother…_"

Clinging to him as if her life depended on it, Raphtalia seemingly mourned the loss of a family that once was… and Naofumi felt quiet indignation begin to burn within him.


	3. Fruition

His dreams that night were surprisingly vivid, more so than he had ever experienced or expected. He was… in his own home — his mother in the kitchen, his father in his office, and his brother in the living room. And everything seemed remarkably still. Quiet, even. He wandered the halls, peeking through doors at whatever the occupants inside might be doing, and… everything seemed to be at a standstill, frozen in a split second within the flow of time. An egg was mid-drop from his mother's hand, destined to never quite reach the waiting pan below. His father had flipped a pen into the air, now trapped in perpetuity, never rising yet never falling.

And his brother… just as clumsy as ever, had spilled a bowl of popcorn whilst sitting through one of his favorite animes. Crouching down, Naofumi gave one of the idle, floating kernels a poke, watching curiously as it shifted somewhat and promptly stopped once more. This was… possibly what life was like now, both for him _and_ for them. Everything and everyone he knew back in Japan was essentially 'on hold' now, for who knows how long — he knew not how time might move between the 'here' and the 'there'. Perhaps things back home would be faster, or perhaps they would be slower. He might return to find that nothing had changed, or possibly that everything had changed.

It was a question to which he had no answer. Standing once more, he gave another look around, then steadily walked towards the one room he hadn't checked yet. Feet slowly guiding him down the hallway, he hadn't even noticed the pendulum of a clock halted mid-swing, nor the errant fly that now seemingly hovered in one single, solitary place in the air. Instead, his focus had been solely upon the door at the very end of the hallway.

_His_ door, the one to his very own room. Slowly, he placed his hand upon the door knob, and then paused — no, _hesitated._ Naofumi merely stared at his own hand, a bead of sweat running down his brow. _Am I nervous? Why am I nervous? This is just… my house. My family. My room. I should feel totally at ease right now, but…_

But he didn't. With his hand very suddenly gripping the door knob, he slowly turned it, nudging the door open only to find that…

"It's… empty."

* * *

Naofumi didn't bother to mention his dream to Raphtalia. He himself wasn't sure what it was he had experienced, nor was he sure what meaning it might even have… or if he was even _comfortable_ with said meaning. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about it — he had only been in this other world for a _day_, and already the anxieties and insecurities had started to amplify, about a home and past life that had simply moved on without him and forgotten he had ever existed. It continued to eat away at him, even in the midst of breakfast, a fact that certainly wasn't helped by how terribly _bland_ it all tasted. _Maybe a bit more salt? No, no… cayenne? And pepper?_

He simply poked at an egg instead, drawing a frown from Raphtalia, who sat immediately to his left. "Naofumi? Is something wrong?"

Blinking, he quickly turned to face her. "Hm? N-No, it's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Were you thinking about something again?"

"Did I get quiet?" When she quickly nodded in response, he sighed, giving the egg another prod. "Sorry. I'm probably not being very good company right now."

"It's alright. Just being able to share a meal with you like this is rather nice." Placing several morsels onto a fork, she held it up to his mouth, giving a warm smile as she offered the utensil up to him. "Here, have a bite."

Unable to recall the last time he had been fed by someone else like this, Naofumi instead thought of how rude it might look if he refused… and how it might upset her. The alternative was a happy Raphtalia, an option that was much more agreeable to him, and so he simply opened his mouth and accepted, looking around the room once more whilst he idly chewed. It was… admittedly strange, to be in a dining room as large as this, with only him and Raphtalia present (aside from a handful of servants to bring fresh dishes and remove any old ones).

It had also taken a good deal of arguing on his part to even secure her a spot there — when they had been woken up for the morning, he had been promptly instructed that he was to report for breakfast, and then be taken out for the day for some assisted leveling. _That, _in and of itself, had been surprising. He had never truly expected Siltvelt to want to level him, let alone have them _help, _which naturally meant they had some ulterior motive. They failed to elaborate when asked, because _of course they hadn't_.

All of this had also been very clearly worded so as to only involve _him._ There had been no mention of Raphtalia, and it seemed that they indeed only viewed her as the very same 'plaything' that she viewed herself. It wasn't as if he was upset she was being purposely left out of things, but more that he was simply _worried._ He had seen how they had treated her already, given that he had been the one to treat her injuries, and the Genmu from the day before didn't seem terribly keen on her when she had been picked by him. If he was taken out for the day, and she had been left behind… he felt as if there was no guarantee she would still be there when he returned.

He very nearly lost his appetite at the thought, willing himself to swallow the same food he had been chewing over and over _and over again_ for the past few moments. No, he had instead stated, _rather loudly at that,_ that he would not do anything they asked of him unless he could bring her along. It was a demand that had drawn a few nervous glances from the guards, who had then hurried off to ask their superior, who had _then_ hurried off to ask one of the council members.

They quickly agreed, once he began to pull rank and mention that he was the Shield Hero. Some concessions had to be made, of course — Raphtalia was not permitted to be within the same party as him once they had been arrived at the designated leveling area, though she _would_ always remain within eyesight of him, an addendum he had to make sure to mention. Aside from that, however, they had nonetheless agreed to let her travel with him at all times, something which had _greatly_ delighted her.

And… given how quickly she was going through plates, it seemed this was possibly one of the best meals she had ever had… or that she had been malnourished. He quietly hoped it was the former and not the latter. A fork had quickly arrived in front of his mouth once more, and he briefly gave it a look before opening his mouth again, able to catch Raphtalia beaming up at him out of the corner of his eyes. She appeared to watch him with a good deal of interest, ears flicking somewhat as she leaned closer and asked, "It's good, right?"

"Mm." Going through _this_ bite much faster than the last, Naofumi quickly swallowed it down and gave her a sheepish grin. "It's… alright. I can think of a few things I'd do it make it better, probably."

Raphtalia gave him another curious look. "You know how to cook?"

"Mhm. Did it all the time back in my world, both for myself and my family."

"I see." She scooted a bit closer, her chair scraping along the floor as she tried to get near to him. "Naofumi, could you maybe cook for me some time?"

"Well… if they'll let me in the kitchen and give me the ingredients to do so, then I'd love to. I always did really like cooking for others." Picking up his own fork, he stared at his plate for a moment, eventually giving a potato—or, at least, what he assumed to be one—a quick jab. "Something about actually making it and seeing someone else enjoy it is just… nice. It's a good feeling."

"...Is that so?"

"Yep. So, if you liked _this…_ I'm willing to bet I could make you something even better." Fork still in hand, he skewered a smattering of meats upon it, deciding to return the favor by hoisting it in front of her — it was an offer that she happily accepted with a quiet 'ahh' as she allowed him to give her a bite in kind. "If they let me use the kitchen, you just let me know whatever you might want, and I'll make it for you. I promise."

Her eyes lit up at the word 'promise', and she gave him several quick, fervent nods.

"Thought you might like that. How about we finish up, and… I guess we'll see whatever it is they have planned for me."

He hoped it wasn't anything _too_ strenuous… and also quietly wondered if they would be opposed to him packing a lunch for the two of them.

* * *

As it turns out, they weren't, though he had wished they would have made _some_ mention of the weather before they had left — it had started raining at some point before morning, a fact that he had completely missed out on, due in no small part to the lack of windows throughout much of the palace. Naturally, it had left much of the surrounding forest a horribly muddy mess, and his own clothes certainly weren't much protection against the elements. Somewhat thankfully, they _had_ provided some weatherproofed cloaks—green for him and red for her—to both himself and Raphtalia, and while she was able to stay relatively dry beneath the canopy of a covered wagon, _he_ wasn't so fortunate.

He was riding on the back of a filolial, after all, and not much cover was really present _at all_ when one was astride a giant bird. It had even been his first encounter with one as well, with him quiet marveling about how similar it was to 'a chocobo', a comparison that drew confused looks from nearly all present. It was quickly forgotten, however, the moment he had climbed into the saddle and been hauled off into the depths of the forest. The closest true comparison he could even think of to his current situation were the ostrich races that sometimes happened in Australia, but surely none of them held a candle to _this._ The beast was simply stomping over all manner of smaller creatures, racking up experience points for him at a frightening rate, and the guards that had also been added to his party were giving their fair share as well.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Naofumi sat at level 28, an _enormous_ gain for someone who had been at a mere level 1 only a few hours prior. It was something Raphtalia had marveled at with a quiet '...I'm only level 23', a statement that was promptly cut off by a bite of a sandwich he had packed away for her. He simply gave her a smile, glancing back to the menu floating before him as he went over his own stat and skill changes from the levels he had acquired, making comparison after comparison to try and evaluate his current sense of self. _I don't really _feel_ any stronger, but… I guess I am, if these stats are to be believed._

The breather was appreciated, even if it was mostly just so the filolials could all get some food and water. They were even surprisingly affectionate with him, something that had shocked several of the guards, yet in his mind, he had _always_ been good with animals. So this was just… an extension of that, he supposed. There was also the matter of _Raphtalia_ trying to get affectionate with him too, feeding him bits and pieces of a sandwich and giggling at him each and every time — he still wasn't quite sure what to make of their relationship or how things were between them, given that they truly hadn't even known each other for a _day. _Yet… he appreciated having at least _one_ face he could trust along for the journey.

Another face abruptly tottered into view, suddenly blocking his shield's menus — the Genmu from the day before. "Sir Hero? How goes the progress?"

"O-Oh. Uh. Well. Really well, I suppose." A few taps upon the shield, and the menu dissipated, clearing his line of sight. "I'm at level 28 now, which is… you know, quite the jump from before."

"Indeed, indeed! We need you at your very best, after all."

"Very best for _what,_ if you don't mind me asking? I was just sort of… told that I was going to be taken out for some level grinding. No real reason given." A piece of sandwich floated into his field of vision, causing him to glance out of the corner of his eye at a certain demi-human before he opened his mouth for her, allowing her to pop it into his mouth. His show of thanks was a pat on her head, and Naofumi quickly swallowed before continuing. "I mean, I figured there has to be _some_ reason why all this time and effort would be spent on me."

"Very astute of you, very astute indeed." The old Genmu tapped his cane against a nearby tree a few times, glancing about before gazing back at Naofumi… and seemingly very purposely avoiding any looks in Raphtalia's direction. "You are the Shield Hero, after all. Champion of the people of Siltvelt. It is through you that we shall finally be able to enact true, lasting change within our nation!"

Naofumi stared a bit, suddenly feeling somewhat uncomfortable over the choice of words. Something about them sounded _awfully_ final. "Um… 'change'?"

"Oh yes, yes! Dissidents have plagued us for years now, constantly struggling against the good we wish to bring about. But you! _You!_ You can help us change _all_ of that. You recall what my colleague mentioned the other day, correct? About a 'great sickness' looming over our fair kingdom?"

"...Vaguely." He snuck in a bit of water, still keeping his attention upon the council member. "Mind giving me a refresher?"

"Dissidents and detractors, all of them. Hiding in the shadows, claiming that _we_ are the ones causing harm to the populace, and constantly working to undermine our efforts. Scum, the lot of them!" The Genmu angrily rapped his cane against that same tree, chipping a bit of bark in the process. "But with the you, the _Shield Hero,_ we can bring them to justice! You shall be a force for good!"

"I… see." Naofumi remained equal parts skeptical _and_ suspicious, and with good reason — there had been no mention of the Waves at all. None. The only real mention of a 'purpose' had been in these so-called 'dissidents'. _You don't want me as a hero, you want me as an enforcer. A grunt. _"So you want me to help out with that, and that's why you're helping me level?"

"But of course. The stronger you are, the quicker this whole set of affairs can be taken care of!"

_...Uh huh. I bet you expect me to buy that too. _"I understand. I, uh… also wanted to thank you. For letting Raphtalia come along, I mean."

Ears twitching at her own name, she had suddenly sat up straight and bowed her head as a show of thanks, though it made no difference — the Genmu still refused to look at her, and instead leaned down by Naofumi's ear. "Sir Hero, a moment of your time, if I may."

"Erm. Sure. I'll be back in a moment, Raphtalia."

Getting to his feet, he begrudgingly began to follow the doddering old demi-human away from the wagon and to what was presumably out of ear-shot of his companion, only to be asked the bluntest of questions: "What is that girl to you?"

He… didn't entirely understand, instead giving a blank stare and mumbling out a "W-What?"

"The concubine you picked not even a day ago. What is your relation to her?"

"You… you mean Raphtalia?"

"Bah!" The cane tapped against a nearby rock, and the Genmu was seemingly doing what he could to maintain his composure. "I care not for her name! All I ask is what she is to you. You seem to care for her a great deal, hm?"

"W-Well… yes, of course."

"I hear you caused a great deal of trouble this morning, _just_ to see that she could remain with you. Do you wish to wed her or something?"

Balking, Naofumi gave another stare, his hands balling up into fists. "D-Do I… _what?!"_

"Do you wish to take her as a wife? It is a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, Sir Hero."

Fighting back a blush, he instead glanced at the ground, chewing on his lip somewhat. "It… hasn't even been a day, I don't know how I could _possibly_—"

"Hmph." Eyes narrowed, and with a speed certainly belied by what one would expect of a _turtle_ demi-human, he leveled his cane squarely at Naofumi's chest, giving it a poke. "I advise you to keep your distance then, Sir Hero. Siltvelt ill needs its savior being distracted by someone as lowly as the likes of _her._ If she does not mean enough to you for you to claim her, then she is _nothing."_

His hands clenched ever tighter, and Naofumi well and truly struggled to keep from grinding his teeth, brusquely pushing the cane away from himself. "...How can you even say something like that?"

"I simply speak the truth, Sir Hero. She is nothing more than a concubine, meant to satisfy your every whim and pleasure. She lives to serve, and she _lives _because we still deem her useful enough to do so… a matter certainly not helped by her own troublesome conduct."

"_Excuse me?"_ Taking steps to close the gap between himself and the demi-human, he felt his blood near to boiling, and he wanted _so very dearly_ to put this old fool in his place — a shame his own lousy attack stat would hamper that. "You keep talking about her like she's just some… _thing,_ to be used and discarded. You refuse to look at her, you sure as _hell_ don't even bother to call her by name, even when I've used it right in front of you. You're doing everything you can to dehumanize her and just reduce her to… _worthlessness."_

"Because that's _all_ she is."

Naofumi grimaced, his face contorting as he fought back a sneer. "...I don't very much like your tone of voice right now."

"Such is life in Siltvelt, _Shield Hero._ I suggest you get used to it."

With that, the Genmu waddled off once more, and Naofumi was left quietly trembling in his wake.

He suddenly didn't feel much like leveling anymore.

* * *

Thirty-four. Thirty-four levels in one day. It was a truly absurd amount of experience for just one person to gain in but a few hours, and yet he had done just that… with help, of course, though he wasn't in much of a mood to even acknowledge that right now. Between the dream the night before, as well as what the Genmu had said to him earlier, Naofumi was feeling rather… _irate. _His own sore muscles from his body having to rapidly acclimate to his skyrocketing stats weren't helping matters much either, but he certainly hoped that soaking in the bath might help somewhat.

...It was a long shot, really.

He slumped a bit, sliding deeper into the hot waters below, quietly wishing he could just make this malaise _go away, _and as much as his dream about his family had bothered him earlier in the morning, that had since been replaced by the leveling grind that had taken place not terribly long beforehand. The way that demi-human had talked about Raphtalia…

_She is nothing more than a concubine, meant to satisfy your every whim and pleasure. She lives to serve, and she lives because we still deem her useful enough to do so._

Naofumi scowled a bit, blowing bubbles into the water as he fumed. Everyone—_everyone_—spoke as if she wasn't some_one_, but some_thing _— the fact that only _he_ didn't do so was mildly infuriating. The guards, the council members, _even Raphtalia herself…_ they all acted as if she was simply… nothing. That she existed solely for him, and him alone. That her continued existence was only _barely_ permitted because she posed some potential usefulness to the 'great nation of Siltvelt'.

He snorted derisively at the thought. _Yeah, sure is 'great' alright._

But… much as he was loathe to admit it, the Genmu _had_ raised an important point.

_What is that girl to you?_

Leaning back against the sides of the bath, he shut his eyes, huffing as he mulled it over. "...I don't know."

_What _is _Raphtalia to me? How are things between us?_ He well and truly didn't know. It still hadn't even been a _day_ since he had first met her, almost purely by happenstance, and… he wasn't sure what to think of her. Or of _them_ — _is there a 'them'? That just... makes us sound like a couple._

Raphtalia was… admittedly _very_ pretty. Attractive, even, what with the way she moved with a gentle, reserved grace. And what of the way her eyes seemed to light up when she looked at him, or the sing-songy tendencies of her voice, or the way her ears and tail would curiously move about whilst he spoke? Not to mention her strength of will, to have gone through the treatment she had and still remain as upbeat as she seemed.

There were… lingering issues, of course. She seemed to have difficulty restraining herself at times, and seemed _very_ keen on physical affection. It was an aspect of her that he was still getting accustomed to, even with how often they were together now. That, and… the self-esteem, though he supposed _the lack of it_ was more worrisome. She well and truly seemed to think nothing of herself, a fact that Naofumi strongly felt was related _solely_ to the abuse she had suffered.

But… it wasn't _all_ bad. If he could spend enough time with her, then maybe he could help change that. Maybe she could start to see herself in a better way. And the thought of spending more time with her, even on its own, wasn't all that bad either. She was… nice. And sweet. And caring. And trustworthy.

Naofumi opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling as his mouth hung open. "I… like her?"

"Like who?"

"Gah!" Very nearly yelping in surprise, he snapped to attention, kicking up a fair bit of water as he tried to gain his bearings and peer through the haze of steam at the source. Someone stood in the doorway to the bath, but… based on the _voice…_ "R-Raphtalia? Is… is that you?"

"Of course!" A few more steps brought her into focus, revealing that a simple towel was all that really concealed the rest of her body from him. It seemed she had also pinned up much of her hair, either to keep it from getting wet or to get it out of the way. Or both. "I thought you might like some company, given how you were acting earlier. You… seemed to be in a bit of a mood, and… I was worried."

"O-Oh. That's…" He paused, staring a bit at her, allowing the gears in his head to turn a bit more, and then— "Wait, why are you here?!"

She had already begun to wade into the waters of the bath, stopping mid-step to give him a confused look. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean the… the baths are usually split, right? Men and women? But I'm here, and… and so are _you,_ and…" He was getting so painfully flustered, a fact he was keenly aware of himself. So much of this was beginning to feel like a repeat of the day before. In a vain attempt to defuse the situation, as well as to distract from his own stumbling, he nervously laughed. "Is it… is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

"Well, it _is_ a bath, Naofumi. I'd certainly hope it's hot." A few more steps into the water then, though she seemed to purposely keep her towel in place as she moved towards him. "And ordinarily, yes, the baths are split. However, given that you convinced them to allow me to stay by your side no matter where you go, it seems that also extends to this as well."

"T-That's, um… that's… quite nice of them." _It really is nice of them, though_ was a thought that he was more than content to simply keep to himself. "I just… wasn't expecting it, I guess, t-though… erm. I'm… naked, Raphtalia."

"And?" She gave him an impish grin, the water now up to her knees. "I don't mind."

"O-Oh."

Raphtalia quietly giggled in turn, drifting closer towards him until she was mere inches away. Slowly, gently, she placed a hand upon his bare chest, pushing him back against the side of the bath. "Yes, well… I'm here now. And don't worry, the towel is staying _on. _I know you're still not used to my presence, nor are you quite ready to fully… _indulge_ yourself with me."

"D-Don't talk about yourself like that." The skin-on-skin contact had certainly caught him off guard, and if he wasn't flustered before, he _definitely_ was now. She was… so _warm._ Warmer than the water, even. And… _soft._ But the touch she made didn't feel as if any sense of lust was behind it, nor was there a sense of 'want' of any sort. It simply felt… caring. Still very distinctly _affectionate,_ but… "I hate that kind of talk."

"...Oh? Is that what has you in such a foul mood?"

His scowl at the waters below was all the answer she needed.

"I see. It was your talk with that old Genmu earlier, wasn't it?"

"...Maybe."

"I only caught a little bit of it, really. Did it truly bother you _that_ much?"

"_Yes,"_ he barked, and then almost reflexively followed with a much softer statement. "Sorry. I just… hate hearing them talk about you like that, is all."

"Naofumi, it's _fine._ If anything, it… makes me very happy, knowing that you think of me so." She backed away from him somewhat, her expression softening as her eyes drifted up and down his body, a somewhat faint smile beginning to spread across her face. "...Turn around, please."

He gave her an almost vacant stare, seemingly confused by the request. "What?"

"I want to massage your muscles for you." Already grabbing him by the shoulders, she began to slowly move him about, and he certainly made no effort to fight it. "It'll likely help you feel better after the leveling you did today, as well as help you relax a bit. And, perhaps if you're feeling up to it, you can talk to me a bit more about what's eating away at you so much, hm?"

_She's… awfully perceptive. _"Why do all of this for me?"

"Because I want to. And because you were there for me last night." As her fingers lightly grazed against his bare back, she quietly tutted at him. "Goodness, the _size_ of some of these knots… it's a wonder you can even _move._"

"Y-Yeah, well… probably the shield helping out with that, I guess."

"And now I can help with the rest. Try and relax for me, and speak if you wish. I won't pressure you to talk about what's on your mind… simply being here with you is enough for me."

Sighing, and resting his head upon his forearms as he leaned against the side, Naofumi simply let Raphtalia do as she wished, another sigh slipping out of him the moment she began to work on his shoulders. "Be honest, are you doing this because you're trying to be nice, or because you just wanted to feel my body?"

She giggled once more, her voice taking on a light, teasing tone. "Can't it be both?"

"Mm. I guess it could."

The next few moments passed in comfortable silence, Naofumi simply reclining against the side whilst Raphtalia's hands moved around his upper back, steadily working loose the kinks here and there. It was… admittedly rather enjoyable, to be treated to something like this, with just the two of them… and she did seem to earnestly care about him and his well being. Why else would she go through so much trouble for a simple _back massage?_

He huffed a bit, groaning as her hands pressed against a particularly sore spot, and then quietly mumbled, "I really do hate it, you know."

She made a sound out of curiosity, fingers running along the length of his shoulders. "Hate what?"

"Just… the way everyone treats you. The way they talk about you. It's _awful._ They talk as if you're nothing, _act_ as if you're nothing. Like you're just some… nuisance. A pest." His voice dropped in volume a fair deal, now barely a whisper. _"I hate it."_

"And why do you hate it?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Isn't it obvious? You're reducing someone to a mere 'thing', as if they don't even matter to you. That they don't _deserve_ to matter to you. It just seems so incredibly cruel to me, to do that to someone."

"Indentured servitude and slavery are both facts of life in this world, Naofumi. They simply _happen. _It's... something I had to accept for myself a while ago."

He grumbled, still staring straight ahead at a wall. "Doesn't mean _I_ have to accept it. I mean, you had a life of your own _before_ what happened to your family, right? Dreams of your own?"

She suddenly stopped, her voice tinged by hesitation. "I… suppose I did, yes. Why?"

"At what point did all of that suddenly not matter anymore?"

"...What?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "When you were younger, what did _you_ want to do when you grew up?"

"I don't… I don't know." A frown, even as her hands began to drift away from his body. "I… can't really remember anymore. It's… difficult. I try to think back to that time, and things seem fuzzy to me. Like it's never quite clear. There's simply… bits and pieces, here and there."

"Like?" Turning about yet still leaning on the wall, Naofumi's attention was solely upon her, his arms hanging loosely at his side. "You seem to at least remember _some_ things, like your old village. Did you… maybe have any friends there that you talked to about what your dreams were?"

"Oh. Well, yes. Um… there was Rifana-chan, and Keel-kun."

The sudden use of Japanese honorifics _was_ rather perplexing, but he quickly chalked it up to his shield's auto-translate simply throwing the native language into something more familiar to him. "Tell me about them, then. Maybe it'll jog your memory."

"Perhaps." As if picking up on Naofumi's own body language, she moved a bit closer to him, quickly cozying up whilst he placed an arm around her. "Rifana-chan was… much more lady-like compared to me. She always seemed so much more graceful."

"Really? Kinda find that hard to believe."

"It's all true, really. Between the two of us, she was always the one talking about boys, or about settling down when she was older." A sudden flash of recognition seemed to run through her mind, her ears suddenly perking up as she turned towards him. "Naofumi, would you believe me if I told you that she always dreamt of getting to meet you one day?"

He stared, wide-eyed. "What? Seriously?"

"Mhm. Whenever we got to talking about stories and the like, she would inevitably bring up the legendary heroes, and how much she wanted to meet the Shield Hero. Though… she did also talk about how much she wanted to marry you…"

"...That's _twice_ today now, that someone's brought up marriage to me."

"Oh?" Raphtalia leaned a bit closer, suddenly curious. "When was the other occasion?"

Naofumi could already feel his cheeks begin to burn at the thought. "I'd… rather not say. Sorry."

"That's alright. As I said earlier, I'm not going to force it out of you."

"And what about your other friend? Keel-kun, you said he was called?"

"Oh, right! Keel-kun was… well, we didn't really talk _that_ much, at least not compared to Rifana-chan. But he was polite, and helpful. He and his father were always helping me or my family out. We… mostly went on our own little adventures, really. It was our way of spending time together."

_So, you can at least remember your friends… but not your parents. Hrm. _"So Rifana-chan was who you talked with, and Keel-kun was who you played with?"

"Well… I talked and played with both of them, but... yes. There was also Sadeena-oneechan, but… I don't remember much about her. She largely kept to herself."

"I see." A pause, and then he asked, "Where do you think they are now?"

Raphtalia grew quiet, leaning against him a little more. "I'm not sure. The last time I saw them was after my village had been attacked during a Wave, when we were packing up our things to leave. Rifana-chan and Keel-kun had both lost their parents to the monsters, but… the other villagers promised to take care of them, and… I haven't heard anything from them since. Do you… think they're okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm…" He sighed — as much as he hated potentially lying to her, he really didn't know how else to answer. "I'm sure they're fine. Hopefully you'll see them again some day, right? You could even introduce me to them. Rifana-chan would… probably love that, wouldn't she?"

"Yes… I'm sure she would. Though…" Another little laugh slipped out of her, and she placed a hand on his chest once more, tracing a shape of some sort against it with a finger. "She'd likely be _horribly_ jealous of me, knowing that I met you and I've spent time with you. No doubt she'd imagine we were some sort of couple as well."

The mention caused him to pause, staring off a bit at the waters below, even as a few flower petals (added earlier by one of the many servants) idly floated past. He could still hear the Genmu's voice in his head, still endlessly asking what she was to him — and he still wasn't sure. He didn't know _when_ he might be sure. Right now, she was simply… Raphtalia. And… perhaps that was enough.

At least for now.

"Earlier."

"...Eh?" Her ears fluttering somewhat, she gave a curious look as she gazed up at him. "What do you mean by 'earlier'?"

"The, uh… the other mention of marriage to me. It happened earlier. With the Genmu."

"Oh? The _Genmu_ wishes to have your hand in marriage?"

Naofumi stared a bit, even with Raphtalia's barely-contained laughter echoing a bit throughout the bath. "That's not what I meant!"

"I _know_, Naofumi. I'm simply teasing." Her hand slowly traveled from his chest to his chin, one finger running along the length of his jawline as she barely concealed a smirk. "Who did he mean then?"

His mind suddenly drawing blanks, he just continued to look at her.

"Your face is getting so red… is it truly that embarrassing?"

_How do I do this? How do I tell her? What the hell do I even say?_

"Naofumi…? You're staring. Not that I don't mind, but… whatever it is, you don't have to tell me if you're struggling to talk about it this much."

He quickly shook his head. "N-No, it's… I _want_ to, I just…"

"Just what?"

"It's…" Almost at a loss for what to even do next, he instead grabbed the hand she had placed upon his cheek, holding it in both of his. And then, with the most _'I am being completely serious'_ voice he could muster: "It was you."

She merely blinked, staring at him. "...What?"

"It was you. The… the marriage talk with the Genmu. He asked about you. What I thought of you, what I wanted to do with you, what…" Naofumi squeezed her hand a bit tighter, still horribly red in the face. "I mean it's still _too early,_ we've barely known each other a _day_ now maybe, and I'm not even sure how things like this work in Siltvelt, but—"

A finger upon his lips to silence him. "Naofumi, _please. _You're rambling. You're… saying the Genmu at lunch talked to you about the possibility of… _you_ marrying _me?"_

"Y-Yes."

Raphtalia stared some more, her expression very nearly blank, and he could feel his own anxiety begin to shoot through the roof. She was no doubt thinking it over, thinking about the _absurdity_ of a marriage to a man she barely even knew, possibly… possibly contemplating it? He certainly hadn't known her for _that_ long, so it was still quite difficult to get a true feel for what she was thinking in a given moment, but… _she just kept staring._

She cracked a grin.

And then a quiet laugh, backing away from him somewhat as she gave him an amused look. _"Naofumi, _you shouldn't joke about these things! If it were anyone else, they... might think you were being serious."

"Raphtalia, I _am_ being serious!"

"Oh, come now. I'm… sure he simply meant someone else. Perhaps some girl from a noble family or something. It… It wouldn't do for the Shield Hero to wind up married to a simple slave."

"_Raphtalia. Please."_

The sudden shift in his tone quickly cut through whatever other ideas she had been thinking of, and she instead looked back at him, her expression softening. "...You… actually mean it, then."

"_Yes, _I mean it. They…" He huffed, seemingly exasperated, and leaned against the wall once more, staring up at the ceiling. "They know I care about you, you know. What with… how you're suddenly better than you were yesterday, and me fighting so much to make sure you could follow along earlier. I saw how they were treating you, what with the bruises and the cuts and… the everything else. And I was worried about you. About what might happen if I left you behind."

"You… care about me," she repeated, almost unbelieving. "...Why?"

"_Because. _Because you were the first friendly face I found in this world." A deep sigh, as he shut his eyes and sank a bit into the water. "You were the first one I met who didn't expect anything of me. You were just… _there,_ and you needed help. And I wanted to help you. And… I-I don't know. I'm rambling again. I'm sorry."

"N-No, it's… I simply… didn't expect it, I suppose." She somewhat awkwardly held one arm with the other, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye every few seconds — almost as if she was suddenly self-conscious of her situation. Suddenly bashful around him. "...You care about me."

"Yeah. I do." Opening his eyes once more, he turned to face her, one hand held aloft as he spoke. "I mean… how could I not?"

Raphtalia hesitantly brought her gaze up to meet his, a sudden shade of pink upon her cheeks. "N-Naofumi, I don't… know if I deserve such treatment, really."

"_Yes, you do._ You're always trying to treat me well, what with—"

"Because it's what I was meant to do."

"_No it's not!_ Enough of this, Raphtalia! _Please!"_ Pushing off from his own spot, he made several movements through the water towards her, and quickly pulled her into an embrace. The act of it had already caused her to quietly yelp in surprise, yet he still held firm, his head resting upon her shoulder as he spoke. "All of this talk about how you're 'just this' or 'just that'... I'm tired of it. I don't want to hear it ever again. You're not just… whatever it is they keep telling you. You're _more_ than that. You're… you. You're _Raphtalia._ And whatever it was you wanted to do with your life before this whole mess… we'll find it again, okay? I'll help you."

"N-Naofumi, what if… I don't know." She abruptly broke away, suddenly looking uncertain, and it wasn't as if he could really blame her either. "The council's not going to let you simply… waltz out of here with me in-hand. What are you going to do? Try and escape instead?"

"Yes! I've got every intention of doing _just_ that, and I'm going to make sure that you can make it with me. Neither of us deserves to be here. You want to see Rifana-chan and Keel-kun again, right?"

Raphtalia feebly nodded, her ears wilting somewhat.

"Then come with me. We'll make it. I know we will. I've… got something I've been working on, since this morning. It's… not really guaranteed at all. And it'll be risky. But I'll make sure to keep you safe."

"Y-Yes… I know. You _are_ the Shield Hero, after all."

"Right. And I care about you."

"You care about me," she said, a sudden grin upon her face.

"So. What do you say?" One hand held out to her once more, Naofumi's expression remained… hopeful, as to what her answer might be. "You want to get out of here someday?"

Softly giggling and with her ears perking up, Raphtalia lunged through the water at him, throwing her arms around him and rubbing her nose against his. "It's not as if I can deny you, Naofumi…"

He groaned somewhat, his own furious blush quickly returning with a vengeance… though he made no attempts to push her away after her sudden display of affection. "Are you… talking about the escape plan, or about _me?"_

She faintly grinned. "Yes."

"That doesn't answer the question, Raphtalia."

"Of course it does. I'll simply leave the interpretation up to you."

"Not helping."

Another quiet laugh from her. "You're still naked, Naofumi."

"Raphtalia…" He groaned again. "Don't ruin the moment, please."

"...Alright," she teased.

As he steadily drifted back towards the side of the bath, Raphtalia still fiercely clinging to him, he couldn't help but remark about how _strange_ this all was, to already be this close to someone he still barely knew. And yet… it wasn't all that bad.

All that truly remained now was finishing the rest of his plan to get the both of them out, and then enacting it… and making sure she remained safe.

He vowed that much, at least.


	4. Interlude - Of Pawns and Queens

"A day. It has taken one, _single_ day for my husband and daughter to bungle about and put _everything_ I've worked for at risk… is that correct?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

She merely stared vacantly out the window at the kingdom of Faubley below, fingers tensing against the panes. "I see. So, my husband, with the help of the Church, forced the summonings of the heroes to occur. And something went wrong."

"Yes, your Majesty. One of the heroes failed to arrive."

"Summoning _all_ of the heroes in one place is already a blunder to be sure, but _failing_ to summon one as well is…" Her grip on her fan tightened, nearly threatening to break the thing in her very hands. "The Waves necessitate the presence of all _four_ heroes. Yet only three arrived, and _of those three…_ my daughter has now turned one of them into a criminal by accusing him of rape."

The Shadow merely nodded, still kneeling. "It is as you say, your Majesty."

"All of this means we now only have _two_ heroes truly available to assist with the Waves. If what you've reported is correct… the Sword and Bow have already formed parties and begun leveling, the Spear has left the capital and attempted to disappear from public view, and the Shield is missing entirely." Nostrils flaring, she slammed the fan against the window pane, cracks spidering and spreading throughout the glass. _"Dammit, dammit, dammit! _We can ill afford this kind of fiasco, let alone on _this_ scale! And all because those _idiots_ at the Church are attempting a power play!"

"...Your Majesty? What is your bidding?"

Doing her utmost to compose herself, she set the fan aside, straightening her crown and slowing her own breathing — _in through the nose, out through the mouth. Hold… and release… _"Give word to Melty that I am trusting her to do her very best during these trying times. If she can assist the Spear in any way possible, she is to do so. I also want resources diverted to aid him and his attempts at a party when it is possible to do so away from prying eyes. If my husband wishes to twist things one way, then we shall simply push back from the shadows."

"You… do not wish to directly confront him, your Majesty?"

"No. Not yet. My hands are tied, what with the _current _state of affairs here in Faubley. That, and I need sufficient proof of the Church's wrongdoing so we can _finally_ wipe them out of existence. To simply erase them now would possibly draw the public's ire."

"Very well. Do you have any further orders, your Majesty?"

Another held breath, followed by slow exhalation. "Any news of the Shield?"

"One of the Shadows reported spotting him in Siltvelt, your Majesty, being paraded about through the capital."

"_...Siltvelt._ Of course they would… and it also explains why the Shield failed to appear alongside the other heroes. He had already been summoned. I shouldn't be so surprised, and yet..." Bringing a hand to her forehead, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she mulled the news over. "This... complicates matters. They publicly accuse _us_ of stealing all of the heroes, yet privately summoned one of their own… and their favored hero, at that. No doubt they're up to their usual short-sighted schemes? Showering him with women and gifts, offering to give him the world?"

"They're… _trying,_ your Majesty."

She abruptly turned about to face her agent, one brow raised. "Trying?"

"He seems… resistant to their attempts. There appears to be friction between him and the very same ruling nobility that summoned him, your Majesty."

"That seems... rather unnatural, given how quickly they've brought past Shield Heroes into their fold. Is there anyone with him yet? Any party members to speak of?"

The Shadow shook her head. "No, your Majesty. No party members. However, our source inside the palace made mention that he's had a woman constantly by his side, almost since the moment he arrived."

"..._A_ woman? Just the one?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Interesting. Very interesting." A pause, to give herself room to breathe… and to think. "Keep an eye on them. Do not interfere directly. I want you to make contact with some of our other sources in Siltvelt, and see what you can learn from them."

"As you wish, your Majesty."

The Shadow departed just as quickly as they had arrived, and Mirellia Q. Melromarc simply… remained still, sighing and massaging one of her temples as she tried to will away an encroaching headache. There was nothing else that could be done. For now, all she could do was sit… and wait.

And hope.

* * *

"How did I get roped into this again?"

"Because you offered, of course."

"I mean, sure, I just… didn't think it was going to take this long."

A trap. Pure folly. A fool's errand. Naofumi could spend minute after minute thinking of a way to describe the situation he now found them in, and he could _very likely_ find another word for it. For he had, in the midst of that warm, comfortable bath with Raphtalia, agreed to brush out her hair afterwards before they went to bed. It hadn't seemed as if it would have taken that long. It didn't look like she had _that_ much hair.

But he was stupid. And he had judged it purely based upon how she had looked with her hair tied _up_ for the very same bath he had been soaking in. The moment they had gotten back to the bedroom, and she had let it all back down… his heart had sunk, and he had quickly been forced to realize that he had bitten off _far_ more than he could chew.

It wasn't as if he didn't care for her — it was simply that this was going to take _a while. _He had already made a good deal of progress, with most of the larger knots and tangles already dealt with, and with the rate that things were going at, they _might_ be able to go to bed within the hour. Might. There were still a few other matters he needed to look into at some point, such as commandeering the kitchen so as to show her what _real_ cooking was like. "Say, Raphtalia… you happen to know what you might want me to cook for you?"

"You're wanting to know already?" She turned—somewhat, but not enough to disturb his work—and did her very best to look him in the eye. "Did they tell you that you could use the kitchen?"

"I'm, uh… working on that, still. Was mostly asking out of curiosity."

"I see." She made a soft noise, seemingly out of disappointment, her ears fluttering somewhat as the brush passed between them. "I… still haven't really decided. Truth be told, there aren't really any dishes from this world that I'm terribly fond of."

"No real favorites at all? Nothing your mother might have made for you when you were little?"

"I... can't recall. And the meals they feed myself and the other slaves here in the palace are… mostly leftovers and foods on the verge of spoiling."

Naofumi frowned somewhat, holding a lock of her hair in hand whilst he ran the brush through it. _So earlier probably _was_ the best meal she's had in a while… not just for taste, but nutrition as well. _"Hrm. What if I tried to make something from my world instead?"

Clapping her hands together in delight, she abruptly turned about to face him, a wide smile upon her face. "Oh! Would you? Please?"

"Easy, there! I don't want to accidentally rip any of your hair out or anything, but… yeah, I can do that for you. What I have in mind is pretty simple, so even if the ingredients here are different, I should be able to make some substitutions." Recollecting the brush that had been pulled out of his grasp, he gently turned Raphtalia's head back around and continued, softly humming to himself.

"...Is that a particular song, Naofumi?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I'm just… trying to pass the time, I guess."

She frowned somewhat. "Do you not wish to talk with me?"

"I mean, I always like talking with you, Raphtalia. It's just… well, sometimes it's nice to also just share a bit of silence with someone else, you know?"

"Mm… I suppose." With a bit of a sigh, she did her very best to remain perfectly still, and began to grow rather content with simply letting Naofumi brush her hair for her whilst he hummed a tune of some sort. The next few minutes passed in comfortable silence, Raphtalia's tail slowly wagging as the brush made pass after pass after pass, smoothing out the knots, tangles, and curls that had cropped up in her hair from her time in the bath with him. Eventually, another question came from her: "Naofumi, when you said you're planning on making an escape… what did you have in mind?"

Clicking his tongue, he set aside the brush once more, laying it down upon the nearby nightstand and pulling Raphtalia into his lap. She seemed to quickly settle right in, cozying up and leaning back against him as he spoke. "Well… I've been trying to memorize things, starting with this morning. Doors, hallways, schedules… who goes where and when. For example, from here to the dining hall is a turn out the door and to the right, about forty steps down the hallway, then the next left. The guards also change their positions every hour, and when they do, there's about a five minute gap in which no guards are really present at _any_ of their posts. So, if I can figure out where an exit is and memorize the path to it… we could slip out and no one would know."

"...Because no one would be watching the door to see you leave."

"_Us._ And yes. It's not like they really peek in here anyways. But before we do that, we need to make sure you're back in good health… and some supplies couldn't hurt."

"Naofumi, they won't simply _give_ you any items that you could use to leave this place. The healing items were one thing, but—"

"I've got something in mind for that." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, holding it in front of her. "I'm thinking that when I cook for you, and I _know_ they'll let me use the kitchen, I'll give a bit to some of the other slaves as well, as a bribe of sorts. I'll ask them to tell me where the servant entrance is, use that to sneak out, and… I guess find a black market or something and pawn this off."

Suddenly curious once more, she reached out a finger to gently tap the object before her. "You're going to sell your picture box? Isn't it precious to you?"

"Well… yes, and no. There's a lot I could _normally_ do with it, but it's pretty useless in this world. And given how high-tech it is, I could probably get a fair amount of coin for it, which I could then use on some items to help me and you get out of here."

"Oh. I see… I think. And you already know where the black market is?"

He frowned a bit, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Not… really. I just sort of figured I'd ask about that as well, and maybe someone would know."

"Why wait when you could ask now?"

"Raphtalia, I don't think that's a good ide—" _Wait. She's... talking about herself. _"Hold on...you know where it is?"

Tilting her head back to better look at him, she flashed him a grin, ears fluttering as she stared up. "I know far more than you realize. I _did_ live here for a time, even before I was forced into indentured servitude."

"And… how much do you know, exactly?"

"I doubt the streets have changed terribly much from my own time roaming them, and if that's the case, I'd say I know them about as well as the lines on the palms of my hands." As if for emphasis, she held both of her hands up and open for him, leaning back against him just the tiniest bit more. "Which is to say, I know them _very_ well."

"You never mentioned anything about this."

Another faint grin. "You never asked."

"It… never came to mind, I suppose. It makes sense, though. You and your family _did_ live here before the money ran out, so you had to have wandered around the city at some point, right?"

"Of course. It's what I _just_ told you, after all. Better yet, I could simply _show_ you—"

"No." Naofumi shook his head, tightening his hold on her. "Having you go with me is out of the question. If we got caught… they might very well do something to you, and I promised I'd keep you safe, right?"

"Well… yes."

"Then you _know_ that you're going to have to stay here while I go. As nice as it would be to simply walk around the city with you, I think we _both_ know that the council wouldn't let me roam so freely. Even if I get caught, I'm the Shield Hero. They're not going to do anything too harsh to me, if they want to try and keep me on their good side. But… you? Raphtalia, you're _disposable_ to them. I know that because they _told me._"

"But—"

"No 'but's. I don't want to needlessly put you at risk until the time comes for us to break out of here. Besides, you still need to rest and heal."

"Naofumi," she tutted. "I'm _fine. _You've seen me walking and moving about."

He huffed a bit, resting his head upon hers, almost right between her ears. "It's barely been a little over a day since I was able to really start helping you. Even with the healing items, it'll still take time to really get you back to full strength. You've still got bruises and cuts, after all."

"They're healing."

"They're healing, yes, and _they're still there. _We can go back and forth like this all night, and you're not going to make me change my mind. I know you want to go with me, but I need you to stay here, where it's safest. Please."

"You're being awfully protective of me, Naofumi." Her voice took on a decidedly-teasing tone, ears twitching a bit as they brushed against his cheeks. "Have you perhaps grown fond of me?"

"Mm… perhaps."

"Only 'perhaps'? No definitive answer?"

"We haven't even been around each other for two days now, and yet I think you ought to know by now what my stance is."

"Oh, I know _quite_ well how you feel towards me. And it's…" Raphtalia's hands moved to cover his as they rest upon her belly, a faint smile breaking out upon her face. "...it's very much appreciated, Naofumi. Thank you."

"It's the least I could do, really. You ready to get some rest?"

Nodding, her own tail wrapped around him somewhat. "We've had a long day, you and I. You especially."

"Level grinding will do that to you. C'mon, now. Sleep time."

She made a soft sound, her tail gently wagging against his back. "Naofumi, before we do… you've been rather affectionate since the bath earlier. Are you... _truly_ warming up to me?"

Curious, he lifted his head up, if only to peer down at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well not just… warming up to… to the _idea_ of me, I suppose. Not the thought of simply being in the company of a woman, but… specifically being in the company of _me." _Her ears had wilted somewhat, and Naofumi was almost positive that they were a little more red than usual. "I'm… not used to it, you know. Having someone care for me like you have. And I… suppose I'm asking you if it's genuine."

As sad as it was, a lot of this sort of talk from her _did_ make sense, given the treatment she had been given ever since her family had first arrived in Siltvelt. To be constantly tossed about and told that you didn't matter, and that your only use was for some greater purpose… it broke his heart in ways he didn't want to admit. He wrapped his arms around her just a little bit tighter, hugging her from behind. "Of course it's genuine. That's not something I can just _fake._ I'm not that kind of person."

"I thought as much, but… I didn't… want to assume anything. Hearing that from you actually, um… makes me quite happy, Naofumi."

The pauses in speech and brief stumbles had certainly caught his attention, and it was then that he was sure this was a glimpse at who she truly was beneath the facade she put on. He had seen it before, sure, but only for the briefest of moments — this was something a little more definitive, a little more _raw, _and something actually tangible. Perhaps, little by little, he could pull this side of her out more often.

Perhaps, he thought to himself, as he pulled her down to lay beside him upon the bed.

Perhaps.


	5. Dusk

**(A/N)**

**Sorry for the delay on this one. Been caught up with work and a mix of writer's block and general apathy.**

Something woke him in the middle of the night, pulling him from his slumber. It was a quiet, unmistakable sound — a series of soft gasps and ragged breaths… and a low whimper.

A single thought crossed his mind. _Raphtalia._

No doubt caught in the midst of a nightmare, Naofumi wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and holding her tight. The noises hadn't stopped, as he had hoped, but had instead continued, and so he held on. He'd hold her like this for hours on end if needed, but it seemed it wouldn't be necessary — his touch seemed to have a calming effect on her, and she had already begun to settle back down. The gasps ended, her breathing slowed, and her entire body started to relax.

If he had been holding a breath of his own, he surely would have let go of it then.

A small part of him wondered, then, what it was she sometimes dreamt about. Did she dream about the home she once had? Her friends? Her family, even with what little she could still remember of them?

...Did she dream about him at all, even though they still barely knew one another? It had scarcely been a day, and yet already, something about Raphtalia felt so… _familiar._ Like he had always known her. Like she had always known him. But… that couldn't be right, could it?

_Don't be ridiculous,_ he thought.

She quietly mumbled something in her sleep, and whatever it had been sounded unintelligible. He _did,_ however, notice her tail draping itself over his waist.

He dozed off again not long after.

* * *

At the dawn of the third day, things largely played out as they had before. He had breakfast with Raphtalia. He was taken out for some leveling with Raphtalia. He bathed with Raphtalia. He had dinner with Raphtalia. He slept with Raphtalia. One might be tempted to call it a routine, though Naofumi had no intention of referring to it as such — this was, after all, a temporary arrangement. It _would_ eventually end. Eventually.

At the dawn of the fourth day, he was level 39. His level had progressed such that the monsters in the surrounding area were barely worth the effort now, yet the councilors didn't seem all that interested in taking him elsewhere. They'd leave him out there for hours on end if it suited them, and it seemed that was exactly what they had every intention of doing, even if the leveling grind was starting to place heavy emphasis on the 'grind' part of the term. The experience gains were paltry, but it mattered not — if they kept him in this same area, it was that much easier for them to keep an eye on him. And, much like the previous two days, it had largely played out the same. Breakfast, leveling, bath, dinner, sleep. He had also asked about being giving open access to the kitchen, and was merely told that it would be 'taken into consideration'... whatever _that_ was supposed to mean. Maybe they actually _would_ think on it and give him an answer. Or, maybe it was simply said to get him to shut up, however temporary.

At the dawn of the fifth day, he was level 42. Experience gains had slowed to a crawl, given how long he was being left out there each day, and it was decided that he would be given a 'brief break' from leveling whilst they scouted out a new area to take him to. He had also learned that it had been agreed upon that there was no real harm in him being able to cook his own meals, meaning his own request had been granted… not as if he was terribly surprised upon learning so.

Still, earning said permission meant that he could move forward with his plans, and as an added bonus, Raphtalia was possibly looking the best she ever had — her injuries, most notably her ankle, had almost entirely healed, and she moved as if it had never happened in the first place. More importantly, she was _happy,_ and had been nearly inseparable from him. It had probably been for the best that they had so quickly allowed her to be with him everywhere, otherwise it would have likely been an inevitability. It now also meant that she was able to stand right next to him within the kitchen, peering over his shoulder as he went to work with… something.

"Naofumi, what is that?"

"It's rice." He had admittedly been surprised to find that such a thing did still exist in this world, after having so many meals without it. There had been _some_ degree of reluctance in letting him use it — something about it being expensive to import, as the only spot it could even be found was a place called 'Q'Ten Lo', yet they had relented after he promised not to unnecessarily waste it. "I'll be mixing it with a couple of other things."

"Like what?"

"Well… some meats and veggies, for starters. I'll eventually add some egg to it too. It's a… well, it's a _really_ simple dish to make in my world, but… it's always been a favorite of mine. Easy to make, even easier to enjoy."

She leaned a bit more over the pan in his hand, nose twitching a bit as she sniffed at it. "...What's it called?"

"We call it 'omurice', but really it's just 'omelette rice'."

"Omurice," she said slowly, as if trying to taste each and every letter upon her tongue.

Cooking the meal itself hadn't taken terribly long, and just as he had hoped—as had she—it had come out nearly perfect, with plenty of leftovers to spare. Raphtalia had utterly delighted in finally sampling the results of Naofumi's culinary skills, and had asked for seconds… as well as asking him to cook for her for every meal. _Every_ meal might be a bit much, but… he promised to do his best, and as far as seconds went, he happily obliged. To that end, as she began to work at another round of food, he had gathered up several additional plates and filled them with rather hearty serving sizes, passing them out to those who were also present within the kitchen.

'The quickest way to one's heart is through their stomach', as the saying went, and it seemed to hold true. Many of the servants had already crowded around him after their own meals, asking what it was he had concocted, what he had put in it, how it had been made… question after question, each with their own answer. One demihuman in particular had caught his eye, however — sitting further away from the rest of the group, they had shyly thanked him for the meal, and it was then that he sprung the question.

"There's something I'd like to know, and only you can help me."

"M-Me?" the demihuman stammered, pointing to himself.

"Yeah. I was wondering if you could tell me where you all enter and exit the palace."

The demihuman seemed to shrink somewhat, grabbing hold of his own long, rabbit-like ears, and holding onto them. "I… I don't know… I'd get in trouble if I did."

"Please. It's important that I do." _And a little white lie couldn't hurt either…_ "Hero business and all that."

"O-Oh. Well… in that case…"

Naofumi spent the next few moments listening intently as the demihuman explained just where it was the servant entrance was located. Everything he had been planning for, everything he had been hoping for, hinged upon him remembering this information.

Across the room, Raphtalia's ears idly twitched as she listened in on the conversation.

She swallowed another bite of her meal.

* * *

"Naofumi, I still don't like this."

"I know."

"I should be with you."

"I know."

"But… you're right. It's safer for me to stay here."

Her reluctance and hesitation both quietly noted, Naofumi allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. The rest of the day had seemingly dragged on, time trickling by as he anxiously awaited his chance to slip out into the night. By now, dusk had fallen upon Siltvelt, and it wouldn't be terribly long before the sun had dipped below the horizon. A storm had rolled in not terribly long after dinner had concluded, the rain barely audible as it hit the roof above.

_Perfect._

The dark to mask his body. The thunder and rain to mask his footsteps. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, and he had already readied himself for what was to come, playing out the necessary step counts and paths in his head again and again, even as Raphtalia draped his cloak over him and tied the knots herself — her taking part like this was perhaps the only way in which she could feel as if she was still with him. She had given him the knowledge she had as to where the black market was. The rest was up to him.

"Naofumi?"

He glanced up from the floor, still palming what was soon to be his _former_ phone. "Hm?"

"Be careful. Please." Pulling the hood of his cloak up and over his head for him, she hesitantly leaned forward, biting her lip somewhat as she gave him a look. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I promise."

"Good. And, um… Naofumi?"

"Yeah?"

Shutting her eyes, Raphtalia moved closer to him, planting a chaste kiss upon his cheek and just as quickly backing away, her face suddenly bright red. "F-For good luck…"

His hand slowly drifted to the spot where her lips had been just moments ago, lightly brushing against it — it still felt warm, though he was no longer sure if that was from her or from his own encroaching blush. _Still…_ "...Thanks, Raphtalia. You, um… keep things dark, and stay in bed while I'm gone. Fluff up some pillows or blankets or something to make it look like I'm still with you. And if they try and pry a bit, just… create a distraction or something."

"A… A distraction?" She still looked momentarily out of it, likely lost in thought by what she had just done, yet quickly came to her senses. "A distraction. Yes. I… I can do that."

He nodded, flashing her a grin. "Great. I'll be back as fast as I can."

"Please do. I don't want to spend the entire night lying in bed, worrying about you." He had already turned to leave when she had just as quickly grabbed the edge of his cloak, tugging upon it. "Naofumi, um… when you return, how will I know it's you?"

"Oh. That. Uh." He genuinely hadn't considered that. After just telling Raphtalia to put on an act to fool anyone else who might try and enter the room, he hadn't considered that they'd need some way to essentially tell her that all was well and that he had returned. But a sudden thought crossed his mind, spurred on by what had happened earlier. "What if I… kiss you on the cheek, like you did to me just now?"

She stared a bit, sputtering somewhat. "W-What?"

"I mean, that's… we don't _have_ to do it, it was just a thought, since… you know, no one else is really going to come in here and just do anything like that, but if you're not comfortable with it, that's—"

"Naofumi. Rambling again." Taking another few steps towards him, she held one of his hands within hers, gently squeezing it. "...I don't... I don't mind if it's you. You ought to hurry though, before you lose your chance."

He caught himself staring at her a bit longer than he intended, shaking his head a bit as he came back to his senses. "Right. Right. Yeah. I'll… I'll be back in a bit, Raphtalia. Don't worry."

A smile and a nod from her. "Safe travels, Naofumi."

With one last, little wave, he gave himself one final check before peeking out the door to see where the guards might be at. Everything seemed to be in place: phone secure in his pocket, cloak over his head… and more importantly, the shield shifted to something a little less obvious — the Book Shield, picked up earlier in the week from feeding an unfortunate tome to the thing, would likely suffice. Slowly pushing the door open, a check of his surroundings revealed that the guards, indeed, were gone.

The middle of a shift change, then. It was now or never.

Slipping out, and with the door shutting behind him, he made his way down the appropriate hallways, counting out his steps as he went so he could retrace what he was told.

_To your right, twenty steps. Left at the next crossing. Forty steps down that hall. Kitchen on right. Another twenty through the back of the kitchen. Fifteen steps through the larder. Door on the right, sign right by it._

It wasn't as if he could _read_ the sign, but he didn't need to. Following the appropriate instructions meant there was no mistaking it. And, with a gentle twist of the knob, he made his way out and into the world… or, at least, that's what he had expected. Instead, the door had opened into a long, dark, and narrow passageway that faintly smelled of sewage. Part of him supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, if this had been the same way that the indentured servants of the palace were expected to come and go daily.

The smell, he could manage. He'd had summer jobs in his younger days where he had dealt with far worse. But the lack of light was certainly going to be an issue, one that was easily solved by simply grabbing the lantern that hung beside the door — it was totally possible that this was perhaps what it had been meant for, and with the pathway now illuminated, navigating it would be rather easy. Still, this was… rather cramped. It was barely high enough for someone at his height, and certainly not wide enough for anyone to walk more than singlefile. Such a thing might complicate matters when it came time for them to escape, if it meant no way to easily turn around or move about to hide from others. The twists and turns gave way here and there to slightly larger areas, where one could move about with relative ease, but he still wasn't enjoying the thought of being so tightly confined like this.

The scent of the sewer was steadily beginning to give way to something much _fresher,_ however. He was close, then, so tantalizingly close to getting a brief taste of freedom outside of Siltvelt's ruling council, and the ambient light was steadily increasing with every step. Extinguishing the lantern and simply hanging it from his waist, the passage grew ever wider, eventually opening into a small room of sorts, possibly used for gatherings or brief breaks. And, of course, just a few steps beyond that… was the city.

Or perhaps, more accurately, the slums. Stepping out from the confines of the tunnel, Naofumi found himself to be in what could be best described as the poorest reaches of Siltvelt — individuals living and resting in ramshackle huts and tent cities, some lying in the gutters, still barely breathing… and some not. This had been perhaps his truest glimpse at the nation he had been summoned to. Not the dressed up, nicer sections he had been paraded through a few days back, but _this…_ the people who lived in squalor and disease.

Doing his best to hurry through the streets, and away from any onlookers or overly curious individuals, it was now time for him to try and remember Raphtalia's instructions. Black markets purposely didn't advertise themselves, of course, but he had been told what the telltale signs were.

_Look for sudden changes in wealth, in those living in a given area. If things abruptly get better, you're close. Follow the coin, and those who seem most likely to exchange it, and you'll find what you're looking for._

He only hoped he could manage to find it, what with the description that had been given to him. Having Raphtalia along _would_ have made this much easier, but… no, it was still too early, and he couldn't bear the thought of putting her at undue risk.

Something caught his eye along his periphery as he moved — the glimmer of a window. A house, even.

_Closer, then._

Slipping through a sudden crowd, the sound and smells of what he had suddenly encountered could only bring a market to mind, which meant that some of the _seedier_ elements had to be close. Off in the distance, a demihuman, one who didn't look terribly unlike a fox, ducked out of an unmarked tent… and in their hands was a bag of coin, opened as they seemed to be counting something out.

"Bingo," he whispered.

He pushed his way through, bumping shoulders with others and offering quiet apologies as he made his way past demihuman after demihuman, doing his utmost to get to that tent. One crowd to his left was seemingly in the middle of an auction, for a pair of humans who stood collared and shackled. To his right, several demihumans had a number of stalls opened, selling the foods they no doubt had grown themselves.

Humans certainly seemed to sit on the bottom rung of the ladder here, something that made him grip his cloak a bit tighter to help keep it in place. _Maintain your disguise, keep calm, stay focused._

The crowds had thinned out by this point, the demihumans becoming fewer as he drew closer to the tent, and upon his final approach to it, he stopped… and stared. It didn't much _look_ like a black market, but he had also never actually visited one of any kind, so it wasn't as if he had any point of reference. However, the cloth adorning the entry to the tent _was_ a particularly dark shade of red, near bordering on black, and what with the fox demihuman that had left it earlier… this had to be it.

Cautiously, Naofumi pushed the flap of the tent aside and ducked in, slowly standing and keeping the hood of his cloak _very_ firmly upon his head. Inside was a vast array of trinkets and goods, littering the floors and several hastily assembled shelves that seemed to have been comprised of all manner of _other_ furniture. A desk, or table, or… counter of some sort stood in the middle, and the entire area seemed to be lit by several small lanterns. Quietly, almost hesitantly, he called out. "...Hello?"

There was the clattering of something in the background, the sound of metal plummeting to the floor, and a faint… yowl of some sort. Almost as if by a cat. A bit of the cloth in the back flew open, but he couldn't see anyone step out.

"Is… anyone there?"

Another faint, almost irritated-sounding growl, and then a low, "Yes, yes, Tali hears you! What you want?"

"Um." At least he had a name. But still, he couldn't figure out in the slightest where the voice was coming from. "I… I'm sorry, but I don't… uh, know where you are."

"Down, down!"

Naofumi looked down, and couldn't help but gawk a bit. Standing before—and _below_—him was a shockingly short demihuman, one who looked more akin to a housecat on two legs than anything else. Very distinctly feline, and very much _not_ human at all. One of the therianthropes, then. Covered in dark gray and white striped fur, and surprisingly well-endowed for one so small, it—_she_—stared up at him with bright purple eyes. He… wasn't sure what else to say.

She looked mildly annoyed, really. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

He stared a bit more. _Puns? ...Seriously?_

It seemed as if she had caught on already, letting out a loud guffaw as she gave his leg a smack — it was about all she could comfortably reach. "Kidding, kidding! Tali does that with all customers. Cannot help it. Now, what you want?"

"I, uh—"

"Wait." She suddenly looked suspicious, nose twitching as she leaned closer towards him. She was… _sniffing him?_ "Strange scent. Very strange. Raccoon? No, scent too good. Mixed with something. Almost smell like… _human?"_

"W-Well…"

"And clothes too nice. Too _different._ A traveler? Melromarc?"

"Melro… marc?" _There it is again. Wonder how far it is from this place. _"N-No, I'm… from here. Sort of. It's… hard to explain."

"Hmph. So, human know how things work here in Siltvelt, yes? Not exactly _welcomed,_ hm? Tali does not care, of course, assuming you have coin."

"I… don't, actually."

The cat squinted. "Then why come here? To look? To trade?"

A nod. "Yeah, actually. I've... got something I wanted to barter, in exchange for some other things."

"Tali not accepting trades for just _anything—"_

He interrupted her with a reach into his pocket, quickly retrieving his phone, and brandished it before her, doing his very best to turn it so as to best catch the light off the lanterns within the tent.

It had _certainly_ caught her eye, of course, her own eyes going wide at the sight of it, tail lashing behind herself as she tiptoed closer. "...What is it? Tali never seen anything like it. All flat, and shiny, and black… magic stone, like crystal ball?"

"No, it's a…" _What did Raphtalia call it again? _"...it's a picture box. Like from Faubley."

"Faubley picture box!" she exclaimed, and Naofumi could have sworn she _hopped_ a few inches into the air. "But why is picture box so _small…?"_

This was beginning to feel like more familiar territory to him, getting caught up in a trade with someone else. He had tread this ground time and time again, back in his own world. It was time for him to crank up the charm as best he could. "Ah, well that's because this one is _special. _You see, this is a _very secret_ picture box I snuck out of Faubley. There's nothing else like it in the entire _world_ right now, and… as a gesture of good faith, I'll even show you how it works."

"Ohh, yes! Tali would very much enjoy that!"

And so it was that Naofumi spent the next few minutes showing the intricacies of his phone to this new demihuman — how to take pictures, how to take video, how to view them again. His eyes occasionally darted to how much battery life remained, quietly wondering if she had even noticed what it was for. Much as he didn't like the idea of purposely swindling someone else, he was admittedly wary of introducing something as advanced as a smartphone to a world such as the one he was in, and he rather doubted he'd ever see this woman again after they made their escape.

As he concluded his own brief demonstration, he asked how much she might be willing to give in exchange, a question that left her deep in thought. She pondered it for several more minutes on end, a hand to her furry chin as she paced back and forth through her own shop, only to at last arrive at an answer of, "How much human want?"

"How much… what? How much _coin?"_

"Yes, yes!"

It was then that he was struck by another thought, one only brought about by what was currently happening — he had no idea what the exchange rate for something such as this might even be. He didn't know the average price for goods or services. He had no point of reference. Which… meant he didn't know if he was even getting ripped off or not. "I… don't know."

"...Human does not know?"

"N-No."

"No?" she asked, looking mildly confused. "But human said he comes _from_ Siltvelt, yet not know how much to ask for?"

He sighed, folding his arms as he stared at her. "No, I don't know."

"So human says he comes from Siltvelt, yet not a slave. And clothes are too nice. And has something from Faubley." The demihuman threw him a wary glance, backing away from him somewhat and inching towards her own counter. "Tali thinks human should perhaps be more _honest,_ lest she go find city guards."

He grimaced. His hands were tied, truly — from the sounds of it, this was the only black market in the city, and if he burned any bridges here, he lost his only chance at getting what he'd need for him and Raphtalia to leave. The honest approach, then."Fine, fine. Just… don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Please."

"And why should Tali do that?"

"Well, that's… " _...a good question._ He had a hunch, however, as to what might guarantee that. He extended one arm out from beneath his cloak, revealing the book strapped to his arm, and promptly shifting it back to its more typical look of the light shield. With a flash of steel and emerald, he had shown his hand. "Um… because I'm… I'm the Shield Hero."

The shopkeep simply stared, first at him, and then at the shield. Slowly, cautiously, she approached, and as she drew near, a low gasp slipped out of her mouth. Just as he was beginning to expect a proper response out of her, however, she quickly scrambled past him and seemed to throw a sign of some sort out front, pushing a table in front of the entrance, and then just as quickly running back to grab him by the hand. She was leading him… somewhere, most likely a back room of some sort. Her excitement was almost palpable, though. "Tali's grandmother always said this day would come, and Tali never believed! Stupid, so _stupid!"_

"Wha-"

"Shh, no talk yet!" Another push past the bit of cloth he had seen behind the counter earlier, and he suddenly found himself in another space, no doubt her private quarters. There was a bed to one side, a table and some chairs in the middle, and then a small wooden bath to the other. "Sit, sit! Tali get tea!"

He still felt like he had whiplash from everything that had suddenly happened, only managing a quiet, "What?"

"Hero visiting Tali's shop! Not just any hero, but _Shield Hero!_ Ah, good day, indeed! Very good day! Tali wake up this morning, you know, say to self 'Tali, open shop a little early tonight'! And Tali thought that rather silly, have _never_ opened shop early, but it felt like good hunch. So, shop open early, and now Friend-Shield is here!" At some point during her talk (which Naofumi was almost positive had been done in a single breath), the cat had grabbed a kettle, filled it with water, and flashed a bit of flame beneath it with her fingers in a quiet utterance. Most likely magic, but he... wasn't entirely sure. "Is cause for celebration! And… also closing shop early. Seem strange, to open shop early only to close it early, but Tali not complain. Money comes any day, Friend-Shield is once-in-a-lifetime!"

Still completely befuddled by the demihuman before him, he glanced back down towards the table he had been seated at only moments prior, now shocked to find a cup waiting there for him… and she was already pouring hot water into it, while seated directly opposite him. "How did you…?"

"Ah, Tali very quick! Very sneaky! Have to be to survive down here, really! Now, how does Friend-Shield like his tea?"

"U-Um, I'll just… have it the same as you."

"Sure, sure! Tali can do that!"

He did his very best to give her a warm smile, his thoughts beginning to shift elsewhere, only to immediately be dragged right back out of them by the sound of clattering porcelain. Looking down, and to his surprise, he discovered that the water in the cup before him had already changed colors, and he was greeted by the aroma of… citrus, and something more fragrant. Naofumi began to have the _slightest_ suspicion that this demihuman was far more than what she let on to be. In spite of that thought, however, he _was_ technically her guest, and it meant he ought to act like a good guest as well.

Bringing the cup up towards himself, he sniffed at it somewhat, then sipped… and was pleasantly surprised. "This is… actually really good. What'd you put in this?"

"Ah ah! Secrets! If Tali shared special recipe with you, friend might not come back again!" She had already hopped up opposite him, no doubt upon a stack of pillows or _something_ to boost her height somewhat, and she now peered across the table as she idly stirred her own cup of tea with a claw. "Now then! Why has Friend-Shield decided to grace Tali's shop with his presence?"

"Well, I… need supplies."

"Supplies! Ah, but to come here on your own means a great many things… Siltvelt not helping?"

"They… are, and aren't. It's complicated."

"Then speak. Tali will listen." The cat had already brought her own cup to her lips, taking a drink from it whilst staring at him from across the table. "Tali has _all_ the time in the world to listen."

"So I guess… where to start? I was… summoned here, of course."

"Like all heroes."

"S-Sure, yeah." _Didn't know they were _all_ summoned, but… something else to keep in mind now. _"They've kept me fed. Gave me a place to stay. They even helped me do some leveling, all things which I'm grateful for. But-"

Placing her cup back down, Tali leaned forward, staring a little more intently. "A favor for a favor, yes? They do things for you, you do things for them."

"...Yeah. They… pretty much just want me for something like… hired muscle. An enforcer, to help do away with all of _their_ problems. There's so much _more_ that us heroes are supposed to do, and they don't seem to have any interest in it at all."

"And so friend wants to leave."

"Well, there's more than that. That's just the beginning."

Ears fluttering and eyes wide with interest, she arched a brow. "Oh? Do tell."

"There's the abuse as well. Not… Not for me, but for others. My… first night here, they told me to take my pick of my 'entertainment'. They meant 'women', of course, so I could just help make kids for them to use as pawns or something. And… one of the women has… been through some tough times."

"So friend wants supplies for himself _and_ a woman. To… escape?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I can't fight against the Waves if I'm kept here, and… she doesn't deserve any of this. I'm sure there's so many more who could use my help here too, but-"

"Small steps, friend. You may be hero, but you are only _one_ man. Friend can only do so much by himself and with only two hands. No shame in leaving one fight to win another." Another sip, and a sigh. "Tali lived that life once, you know."

"As a… a hero?"

"No, no. Nothing so grand. Lived life as your friend did. Working in palace. Serving. Tali knew well how others are treated, but… Tali was on her own. Could not stop it alone. Could _try, _but then Tali puts own life in danger. And… one day, could not take it anymore. So Tali took what she could and ran. Ran _far_ away, away from city and from country."

"Like what I want to do. Like what I'm _going_ to do," he said, somehow able to hear the resolve in his own voice. And yet… "You came back, though… didn't you? Why?"

"Because Siltvelt is home. Is not the _best_ home, certainly. Could be better… but also could be worse. And Tali _knows_ it could be better. But, Tali made a choice. Would stay here, and live, and work, and do what she could to try and make difference. And… now choice has paid off, it seems. Because Friend-Shield is here, and if _Tali_ cannot make difference on her own, she can help someone who _can._ Could have tried Shieldfrieden, but… too far. So Tali stay."

"I see." Naofumi stared down into his own cup of tea, processing the words and thoughts and ignoring the new **Bookmark Saved: Shieldfrieden** out of the corner of his eye as he watched the fragments of leaves swirl about within the water. Taking a deep breath, he took another sip from it, and then: "Tali, you said you worked in the palace. They… did something to you too, didn't they?"

"Mm… is Tali so easy to read?"

"Somewhat."

"Tali will work on that. Letting down guard is not good down here." She drug a single claw across the table, marking into it as she stared at the splintering wood. "But… yes. They did. Tali worked in kitchen, you see. Helped make food. Man come back one day, say meal made guest sick. Asked who made it. And Tali knew. Knew it was new girl… a young girl. Kept little to help clean small spaces in kitchen like fireplace. And... Tali also knew what would happen to girl. Knew she was too young, too small to endure it. So…"

"So you… said you did it. You took the blame."

"Yes. Guest was ambassador from other country, so… beating was bad. And Tali bore the marks from it. Not just on body, but…" She paused, bringing a hand to her head and tapping a finger against it. "...Here too. Had trouble with words and memories after. Still have trouble with words."

His expression softening, he leaned closer somewhat, asking, "Do you regret it at all?"

"No. Never regret it. If Tali hadn't taken blame, girl likely would have been found out… and girl would have died. Better that Tali speak funny for rest of days than for child to die at hands of another over little mistake. And if Tali had said nothing, then who? Would anyone else have done what Tali did?"

He couldn't think of anything to say in response and instead simply stared at the table, just as she did.

"Tali does not regret choices in life… would rather make choice than not, yes? Something friend should perhaps keep in mind. He_ always_ has choice. Even if seem like bad choice, or hard choice… better for friend to choose own destiny than not."

"I… I guess." She _did_ bring up some good points, but… well, this talk was beginning to drag on, and thought it had certainly been an enlightening look into how the _true_ populace of Siltvelt lived, it wasn't why he had come here in the first place. "Listen, I'd… love to stay and talk, really, but… I still need to know if you have any supplies I can get from you."

"Ah, yes, of course! Tali sorry for talking so much, been _so_ very long since she have guests for tea." Another quick sip, and the demihuman had already hopped off her chair, strolling back over to his side and peering up at him. "Friend wanted to trade picture box in exchange for supplies, yes?"

"Y-Yeah. But, you know, I don't really know what it's worth-"

"Tali make sure to give fair deal! Come, come!" She had already grabbed hold of one of his hands, nearly yanking him off his chair and dragging him about with a strength that surely was not what he had pictured someone of her size having, and he had barely regained his footing so as to walk about himself. By the time he did so, she had pulled him back out into her store front, and let go of his hand just long enough to replace it with a bag. "Hold, please!"

"...Hold? For… what?"

"Tali will fill it for you."

He blinked. "Wait, _fill?"_

"Yes, fill!" She scurried here and there, grabbing items off shelves and running back over to place them in the bag for him, and it was indeed beginning to _rapidly_ fill up. "Map, rations, bandages, potions… Tali get you _many_ things you might need for road!"

"Wh…" Words failed him for a moment. He collected his thoughts, then tried again. "Why do all of this for me? All of this _has_ to be worth more than what my ph… _picture box_ is actually worth."

"Friend right, Tali indeed giving him more than he deserves, but…" A phial of clear liquid twirled about in her hands, stopping between two of her fingers. "Friend _clearly_ no friend of those ruling Siltvelt, and friend also Tali's best chance at doing good. Besides, Tali's grandmother never forgive her if she not help Shield Hero… that, and friend is _very_ handsome."

Naofumi raised a brow, tilting his head. "...I'm sorry, I couldn't really catch that last bit."

"Oh, nothing to worry about! Tali just talking to self."

"...Oh. Um… what's in your hands there, anyways? I recognize the potions, I've made some myself, but… that just looks like water."

"_Holy_ water," she corrected. "Not very useful, but still good to have."

He blinked at it somewhat, staring out of curiosity. "What does it do?"

"Friend can use it to dispel curses, or use on weapon for more damage against nasties. Besides, is free! Friend cannot complain about free things, no?"

"Well, it's... not _really_ free, but… you're right, I can't complain too much. Not when you're giving me all of this."

"Good! Friend catches on quick." A few more things were tossed in, mostly what seemed to be some would-be torches, and she shut the flap upon the bag, fastening it tight. "All done. Friend should have more than enough to make it out of Siltvelt and to another town. Maybe even Melromarc, if friend is determined enough."

Grabbing hold of the bag, he hefted it up and was rather surprised to find how _light_ it felt — whether this was magic at work, or a result of his own levels, he wasn't sure. Still, his phone had already been passed off by this point, now sitting upon her counter, and he had managed to secure that last little bit he'd need before he and Raphtalia could make their escape. "Tali, I can't thank you enough for this."

"Friend does not need to thank," she said, waving a hand—_paw?_—dismissively. "Friend simply needs to visit again some time, let Tali know how he is doing. Maybe after different folks end up in power."

"Right, well…" He let out a sigh of relief, bringing the hood of his cloak over his head once more, and making sure both it _and_ the bag were secure before stepping towards the entryway. "Thanks again. Maybe we'll… see each other again some day or something. Who knows, right?"

She laughed and nodded, even as she began to wave him off. "Safe travels, Friend-Shield."

'_Safe travels'... Raphtalia said that too._

He smiled and waved as well, even as he ducked out and back into the busy streets of Siltvelt, and the moment he had left, the demihuman had returned to her back room and had begun to write a letter of some sort. The addressee was unknown, but unneeded. They'd receive it soon enough in any case.

...They always did work and move quickly.


End file.
